Together but Apart Bughead
by 0TheTownWithPep0
Summary: A FanFiction that takes placed after Season 2 of Riverdale and is evolved into my own version on Season 3, some Seasons 2 parts are changed. The Black Hood is gone. Clifford Blossom is gone. Still, dangers, trials and troubles lurk in the shadows for the four friends. A Bughead story! {Rated T for slightly violent scenes, kidnapping, etc}
1. Chapter 1: Bond

_This takes place shortly after S2:E22 and is evolved into my own version of Season 3. (Archie does not get arrested in this one). Enjoy!_ _ **Constructive**_ _criticism is greatly appreciated._

* * *

 **Chapter One : Bond**

Sitting on the edge of her bed, Betty stared down at her hands, eyes narrowing in worry. Her fists were clenched tightly, her nails digging into her palm. After a eerily silent moment, the blond female rose to her feet and uncurled her nails, brushing her palms on her pants. Her palms were raw and pained but not bleeding, yet.

It was the day she was going to return to school.

Betty's arms felt rigid and her hair hung down, ragged and unbrushed. Her legs felt numb and her jaws felt sewn shut. Bringing her gaze to her mirror, she flinched at her state and reached out for her brush, grabbing it and beginning to brush it out is long, rough strokes before it was soft again. Then she quickly pulled it into a ponytail and put the brush down.

How was she ever going to face everybody? Now that everyone knew her father was the Black Hood.

She had stalled long enough, but she knew that the longer she waited, the more her grades would suffer.

After applying her makeup, she looked at herself and let out a breath. Her fists began to close tightly before she heard a loud, **Ding**! Betty felt herself practically jump out of her skin when she heard her phone go off. Heart pounding she reminded herself that the black hood was gone. Out of the picture. Reaching out and grabbing her phone she read the message.

 **Jug: I'm outside.**

The teenager smiled to herself and looked at herself in the mirror one last time. She wore light makeup and a light pink sweater and jeans with simple white sneakers. One month. Then school would be over and she could hide away and not face any of her classmates ever again… or at least until school started back up again after summer break.

 **Betty: Coming out now then**

Placing her phone in her pocket she grabbed her bag and hurried out of the house, ignoring her mother's calls of goodbye and who knows what else. Closing the door quietly, Betty turned to the outside and gave a small smile to the beanie wearing teenager who was leaning lightly on Betty's fence.

Jughead looked up as the door closed and smiled, standing up straight and smiling at Betty. "You ready?" he asked softly, worry pricking in the corner of his eyes.

"No." Betty replied honestly and looked at her feet, suddenly feeling more stressed than before. Quickly, she shook it off and walked over to Jughead. "...well… the most ready I can be." she quickly amended and started to walk.

Jughead opened his mouth to say something before Betty quickly started talking again. "You know you don't have to walk here to bring me to school, right?" she started, changing the subject quickly as they set off.

Jughead rolled his eyes and shrugged simply. "And let you walk to school everyday by yourself? Not a chance." he joked and placed his hands in his pockets.

The walk was mostly quiet at the start, before the two started talking about the Blue and Gold, ultimately lifting Betty's spirits.

* * *

The two paused in front of the school and Betty's fists began to close, before Jughead pressed his hands in hers, rubbing circles on the back of her hand. "Come on, let's go." he murmured and led Betty into the school.

Some students turned to look at Betty when she entered the school before she quickly turned away and began whispering to her each other. In simply a few minutes, everybody knew Betty was there.

Betty looked down and flinched under everyone's eyes. Mostly people were just whispering about her and pointing at her with their gaze. She quickly dismissed herself from Jughead and hurried to her locker. She almost made it to her locker before a girl stepped in front of her.

"Did you know?" the girl asked and Betty was forced to bring her gaze up. She gaze to girl a questioning look, even though she knew exactly what the girl was implying. "Did you know your father was the Black Hood?" the girl added quickly and Betty glared at the girl in front of her.

"No." she muttered and pushed past the girl, quickly getting her class items from her locker and taking a breath. Her hands clutched her stuff and she paused for a moment to calm herself.

In less than a moment, her locker was slammed shut, the loud noise echoing through the hallway. Betty jumped in surprise, holding her stuff more tight and glaring up at the person who shut her locker.

The female's heart sank when she saw who it was, she knew his face, his hair, his anger flooded face anywhere. Reggie.

* * *

 _Short first chapter but the next chapters will be long. Hope you enjoyed!_


	2. Chapter 2: Aftermath

**Chapter Two: Aftermath**

Betty brought her gaze up to Reggie. Her eyes darkened, pushing aside her fear. She felt everybody's eyes burning into the two people. Her green eyes were narrowed and her fists clenched as she held her stuff for her first class. "Reggie Mantle." she spoke coolly.

Reggie narrowed his eyes and glared at Betty. "Did you know?" he didn't wait for Betty to answer. "Did you know that your father was a serial killer?" He paused for a moment, letting the words sink in. "A killer?" he then looked to the football players behind him.

Moose looked uncomfortable, his eyes on the ground. He was beside Reggie, but didn't look at all as angered. Still, he didn't say anything to stop his friend.

Betty bit the inside of her cheek before taking a breath and burying her nails deeper in her palm. "No." she managed to growl. Blood began to trickle in her hand, her nails having pierced the skin already.

"Why don't you walk away, Reggie. Betty's dad is the killer, not her!" A sharp voice snapped and Betty turned to see Cheryl glaring at Reggie with crossed arms. Betty felt a flash of relief sink in to see that Cheryl was on her side. Toni was standing beside Cheryl and when Reggie opened his mouth again she stepped forward and stood beside Betty. "Back away, Reggie." she growled, eyes dangerously harsh.

Reggie sent a poisonous look in Betty's direction before adding one last remark. "Like father like daughter. Am I right, Betty?" before turning and leading the Bulldogs away. Once they were gone, Betty felt out a sigh of relief that she didn't know she was holding.

Toni flicked her a sympathetic glance and stepped closer to her. When Betty took half a step away, Toni gave a sympathetic and backed up, standing beside Cheryl to give Betty her space. Cheryl sent a haunting look in Reggie's direction before tossing her hair and letting her gaze land on Betty.

"Oh, cousin dearest. You poor thing. Reggie Mantle is the definition of annoying. Trust me, I'd know." the female expressed before giving Betty a smile. "Well, see ya." she replied simply when Betty looked at the ground awkwardly. Seeing it as her cue to leave, Cheryl looked at the people around them. "Scat moths." she snapped and left with Toni.

The crowd diminished slightly, while most just turned to their lockers and kept their eyes on Betty. The blond female closed her fists gently, keeping the blood from dripping onto the ground. She couldn't give anybody more of a show. Quickly, she took her stuff and head to the bathroom.

Betty stared at herself in the bathroom mirror. After a quick check that nobody else was in there, she set her stuff on the ground and turned on the water, washing the blood off her palms and watching the red liquid cascade down the drain. Tear pricked at her eyes before she turned to water off and wiped her eyes with the back of her hand.

After drying her hands, Betty picked up her stuff and hurried off to her class. Class started in only a few moments and she couldn't draw more attention to herself by being late. Walking head down, she avoided the whispers around her, even though they all echoed in her mind. People gossiping that she knew it was Hal, while others said she was even working with him.

After finally entering her first class she sat back in her chair in the back. Her stuff was placed neatly on her desk. Part of her didn't care that people avoided sitting beside her. That just meant the whispers were quieter.

* * *

During the lunch hour, Betty skipped her meal and sat beside Archie. After a moment, Jughead and Veronica showed up. Archie was looking at Betty worriedly and Jughead ignored his food, turning to Betty. "I'm so sorry about this morning…" he started, looking rueful. "I should of been there…" all her friends looked ashamed at themselves for not being around to help Betty.

Betty closed her hands into fists, her hands hidden from Jughead. "Don't worry about it." she spoke calmly.

"I was late to school…" Veronica started and looked to Betty with sympathy and guilt. The raven-haired Lodge pushed aside her food, as if too distressed to eat.

 _Betty's nails began to dig into her palms._

Archie shuffled awkwardly, "I was with Veronica… We decided to stop for milkshakes at Pop's first…" he further explained Veronica and his absence.

 _Betty's nails broke the the raw skin of her palm, letting blood begin to trickle for the second time that day._

Jughead took a bite of his food and was quiet for a moment. When veronica gave him a sharp look to tell Betty why he was late he spoke up finally, "I was working at the Blue and Gold…" his voice was strained as he explained.

Blood trickled down her arm and Betty just shrugged. "I said, 'Don't worry about it!'" she snapped quietly and got to her feet quickly. Her voice was strained and tears trickled down her cheeks. Quickly she brushed them away, "This was a mistake. I'll see you guys later." she spoke and walked off, leaving the cafeteria with a rigid walk.

Veronica sat back and let out a frustrated growl. Archie put his arm around Veronica but said nothing. Jughead gave them an exasperated look and sighed. "Come on. I told you guys she didn't want excuses." he frowned and watched the doors she left out of shut. Without saying anything, he stood and walked after her.

Veronica put her head on Archie's shoulder and sighed as he wrapped his arms around her tighter.

* * *

 _Short as well, but the chapters will get longer... not sure I'm very proud of this chapter... Suggestions would be greatly appreciated!_


	3. Chapter 3: Adoration

**Chapter Three : Adoration**

Jughead pushed open the cafeteria doors and let them swing shut. He paused to look around for Betty. When he couldn't see her, he let a frustrated growl escape his jaws. Running a hand through his hair, he took off his beanie and brushed his black hair strands away before putting it back on.

Jughead hurried away, checking the Blue and Gold first. It was empty, nothing had changed since he was there that morning. Papers were still scattered around from the Black Hood murderers. Letting out an exasperated sigh he felt anger coil inside him at the fact that he was here instead of with Betty.

The male brushed away the Black Hood papers with a frustrated growl, watching them drift to the floor. Rage seared inside of him, for one person in particular. _Reggie_.

Jughead slammed his foot into chair leg angrily, watching it break and fall to the ground with a loud clatter. _How dare nobody was there for Betty? How dare he wasn't there!_

Leaning on the table, threw his beanie to the ground and felt his heart ache. Betty had gone through something and he hadn't been there to help her… A knock at the door made Jughead look up with a depleted look. "What?" he grumbled, an edge to his voice.

At Jughead's words, the door creaked open. Toni appeared at the doorway and leaned against the door frame. "Trouble?" she asked, referring to the mess in the newspaper room.

"What do you want?" Jughead growled, looking at Toni with a frustrated look.

Toni walked inside, picking up his beanie and pressing it to his chest. Jughead grabbed it and put it on. "Just wanted you to know I saw Betty walking in her house's direction." she started and Jughead was gone the moment she finished speaking, the door behind him swinging to a shut.

Jughead hurried out of the school, pushing through the people who stood in his way. Suddenly, he felt himself get knocked backwards. He stumbled slightly, but caught himself before looking up at the person who had stopped him.

"Sure you want to go after a murderer?" Reggie sneered, towering over Jughead. "Still love her even after you know her father killed Midge!" his voice was changing to a yell and Moose had his arms crossed, as if regaining his anger. Of course Moose would be willing to give Jughead a hard time, Jughead was an outcast.

Anger burned in Jughead as he thought of what Betty had to go through. Without thinking, he swung a fist and it collided with Reggie's jaw. His knuckles ached with pain and blood appeared at his fists. Seeing blood drip from Reggie's now busted lip, a flash of satisfaction bubbled in Jughead.

Reggie wiped the blood from his lip with a fist before he swung a fist towards Jughead. Immediately, a few young Serpents stepped into the hallway. In less than a moment, the Bulldogs were fighting the Serpents, again. Fists were flying and blood freckled on the ground.

"What do you think you're doing in my school!" Principal Weatherbee shouted and the fight froze. Toni gave Jughead a look to go after Betty and Sweet Pea stepped in front of Jughead, blocking his shape from the principal.

Jughead flashed Toni a thankful look and turned, pushing open the doors and running out. He needed to find Betty.

* * *

Betty opened her home's door, her bloody palms leaving a stain of red on the door handle. Alice was sitting in the living room and looked up when she heard the door open. "Betty Cooper!" she spoke, confusion and anger sharp in her voice. "Why in the world are you home at this time?" the mother got to her feet, putting down the book she was holding a moment ago and within just a few strides, she was by Betty and grabbing her by the wrist, pulling her inside and shutting the door.

Betty winced in pain as he mother pulled her inside, Alice's nails dug in her arm and she tried pulling away. "You're hurting me." she growled but Alice held on, and dragged her to the living room and pushed her to the couch before she stood.

"Skipping school? What has gotten into you!" the mother growled and narrowed her eyes.

Rubbing her wrist, Betty shrugged. "I'm sorry… I just couldn't be at school… It's too soon…" she added softly and bit her tongue, trying her hardest from crying.

Alice rolled her eyes, "That's no exception young lady!" she snapped and glared at Betty. "You said you were ready, I told the school you were ready! Now, you are making me look like a liar!" she spat and paced the living room.

Betty looked at the floor, willing herself not to say anything. Her fists were closed, nails digging into her already weak palm.

"I was about to leave and now I have to leave you here at home!" Alice growled and checked the time on her phone. "You know what, it's fine. You stay. I don't care." she snapped, even though it was clear she did care. With that, Alice grabbed her purse and turned to leave before pausing and looking over her shoulder. "Now, change your outfit and put some more makeup on. You look like a clown." she snapped and stormed to the door before taking a deep breath and walking outside.

Once the door shut, Betty let out a soft sob and felt tears run down her face. Her nails hadn't broken the skin, but the marks she made before were still bleeding. She unfurled her hands and looked at her bloody palm. Then she stood numbly and raced to her room, sitting on her bed and wiping away the blood with some tissues on her nightstand.

* * *

She then sprawled out on her bed and started crying. After who knew how long, she heard a knock on her window. Drawing her red eyes towards the window she saw Jughead. His lip was busted, bruises littered his face and his nose was bleeding. Shock shot through her and she hurried to the door, opening it.

Jughead himself inside, "Hey there, Juliet." he grinned before looking at her state. "Are you okay?" he asked quickly and draped his arms around her, pulling her into a hug.

Betty pulled away slightly and touched his bruised face, when he flinched away she frowned. "The question is, 'Are you okay?'" she countered, not willing to answer Jughead's question. "You look horrible!" she gasped and Jughead just shrugged. "Just a few cuts a bruises." he replied simply and Betty narrowed her eyes.

"Just a few? You're whole face is black and blue!" she snapped and turned, hurrying to her bathroom, pulling him with her.

In the bathroom, she ran a washcloth under cold water and wiped away the blood on his face. The red liquid stained the clean white cloth and after a moment of getting rid of the blood she put the cloth down and looked at him. "Tell me what happened." she urged, it pained her to see him like this.

Jughead looked at the ground and let out a sigh. "Well…" he broke off, not wanting to continue. One look from Betty and he finally spoke up. "Fine. Me and Reggie… got in a small quarrel." he started softly and looked down.

Betty frowned angrily and pulled him into a hug. "Was it my fault?" she asked quietly, eyes boring into his. She was mentally kicking herself, if Jughead was getting hurt on her behalf, she wouldn't be able to stand it!

"Well, no. I started the fight... "

"You started it?" Betty snapped, pulling out of the hug and narrowing her eyes. "Why?" she snapped and crossed her arms. Her green orbs were dark and haunted.

Jughead brushed some hair out of his face and led her to her bedroom again. He took on seat on the edge of her bed and she did the same. After a moment of silence, Jughead spoke up. "He was saying horrible things…" he started and Betty frown deepened. When she didn't look satisfied with his answer, he continued. "...about you…"

Betty jumped to her feet and tears pricked in the corner of her eyes. "So it was my fault!" she sobbed before Jughead wrapped his arms around her, Betty rested her head on his shoulder and he winced slightly. Fear rippled through Betty and she quickly squirmed out of the hug. "What?" when he didn't answer, she narrowed her eyes again. "Take off your shirt, now." she ordered and he frowned. "Now."

Jughead sighed and pulled his shirt off, laying on the bed with a frown. His body was bruised and bleeding, colors ranging from black to blue to red to purple.

"Goodness. He beat the crap out of you, Jug." Betty teased, even though her voice was strained.

"You should've seen him." Jughead replied and gave a shrug. "Trust me. I'll heal. I've been through worse." he chuckled and Betty flinched at the memory.

FP holding his limp body and walking closer to them. Jughead's eyes closed and his arms cut, all of his limbs hanging. His purple and black face, his emotionless expression. His still body when he was in his coma.

A soft touch to the shoulder snapped Betty from her thoughts. "I know you have…" she started softly and hugged him. "Please… can you promise me something though?" she asked quietly and Jughead gave a skeptical nod. "No more fighting Reggie, or anyone for that matter if it has to do with me." she ordered.

"Betts… you know I can't promise you that…" Jughead started but Betty narrowed her eyes.

"Promise me, Jug." she repeated and the male sighed.

"Fine. I promise." Jughead gave in and Betty smiled softly, delivering him a kiss on the cheek. The two then sat down and Jughead looked to her with adoration. "I love you, Betty Cooper."

Betty smiled and looked up to him. "And I love you, Jughead Jones."

* * *

 _Goodness, they are adorable together! I love their 'I love you' moments!_

 _ **Question: How do you feel about Betty keeping her bleeding palms from Jughead?**_


	4. Chapter 4: Guess Who

**Chapter Three : Guess Who**

Betty and Jughead were laying down on Betty's bed. His arm was draped over her frail body. Jughead was fast asleep, is breathing soft and rhythmic. Betty opened her eyes and smiled to herself at the sight of Jughead.

At her desk, Betty could hear Jughead's phone go off. Not wanting to wake Jughead, the female carefully slid from his warm hug. She suddenly felt cold without his warm body pressed against hers. Getting to her feet, she looked over to her boyfriend. He was still fast asleep.

The blond carefully picked up Jughead's phone and read the name on the phone screen.

 **Penny**

Something stirred inside Betty and her eyes narrowed. Who was Penny? Quickly, she turned the phone off and sat down on her bed. Jughead wouldn't do anything like that. After a moment, she managed to convince herself that Jughead knew a lot of people, he would never cheat on her.

The pony-tailed female quickly tightened her ponytail, which was loose. With one look at herself in the mirror she cringed. Her makeup was smeared from her crying before Jughead had arrived and bags rested comfortably under her eyes.

Standing up, she walked to the bathroom, splashing water over her face and cleaning it of makeup. Turning the water off, she dried her face with a towel and placed it on the counter. Then, turning on her heels, Betty walked back into her room.

Jughead was still asleep, his arm covering his eyes. Betty looked at the bright room before pulling her curtains shut, dimming the room. Jughead's arm fell back, breathing softly once again.

At another ring of Jughead's phone, Betty glanced over at the desk and strolled over there. Her face scrunched up at the name.

 **Penny**

Betty waited for the phone to ring out, an annoyed look crossing her face.

 **3 Missed Calls From Penny**

The blond narrowed her eyes and picked up the phone. After a look at Jughead, making sure he was asleep, she swiped on the missed calls and held the phone to her ear. The phone rang out for a moment before it clicked and someone began speaking.

"About time." a voice chided and Betty frowned in annoyance. It was silent for a moment, before the person spoke again. "Thought you forgot about me." the voice laughed and Betty closed her fist.

"Jughead's asleep. Who are you?" Betty snapped and the voice let out a chilling laugh.

"Oh my. My my. Who in the world could this be?" the voice laughed coolly and Betty felt herself squirm inside. "Is this… Betty Cooper?" Betty swallowed hard. Who _was_ this person? Quickly, she hung up and slammed the phone on the desk.

Her heart was pounding, making her chest hurt. How did this… Penny person know her?

"Betts?" Jughead mumbled and Betty looked over her shoulder. Jughead was pulling himself into a sitting position. A smile flicked across his face when he saw her before he saw the horror in her face. "What's wrong?" he asked, getting to his feet.

"Hey, Jug." the female smiled, hiding her fear quickly and biting away the urge to ask about Penny. "You just startled me." she laughed and planted a kiss on his lips.

Jughead grinned when they pulled away from each other. "What time is it?" he asked and Betty shrugged, checking her clock. "Two." she answered and he nodded, putting his beanie on and kissing her cheek.

"Guess that means I have to go. Your mom won't be gone forever and she'd skin me if she saw me here." he chuckled and put on his Serpent Jacket. Betty smiled, nodding and looking at the floor. "Here." she quickly spoke, handing his phone to him. "It was… good to see you." she murmured awkwardly.

Jughead narrowed his eyes but said nothing. Grabbing the phone, he smiled softly and opened the curtains and window. Then he climbed out the window before he paused. "Love you." he expressed and climbed down the ladder. The sound of a motorcycle started up before the sound lessened.

Betty slumped onto her bed and laid down. She rested her head on a pillow and bit her lip. Guilt racked her body, she answered her boyfriend's phone, checked his calls and was lying to him. The female let out a breath of annoyance, pressing her palms to her palm to keep her fists from closing.

Letting out a screech of fear when her phone went off, Betty slowly edged towards her phone. Quickly, she grabbed it and red the name.

 **Mom/Alice**

Immediately, Betty felt herself relax. Her muscles loosened and she shakily brought the phone up to her ear. She was safe. The Black Hood was gone. Clifford Blossom was gone. Penny, whoever she was, wasn't a threat.

"What?" Betty asked coldly, the line was quiet for a moment.

"What are you doing, right now?" Alice asked simply. Betty rolled her eyes and let out a sigh.

"Nothing, doing a bit of studying. Why?" she lied easily and waited for Alice to explain.

The line was quiet again, this time for a little bit longer. "I'll be home soon. You better look decent. I'm bringing a few friends over then I have to go to one of their baby showers. Got it?" Alice hadn't waited for an answer, for the call was hung up.

Betty brought her gaze to her mirror and frowned. Sitting down in her chair, she began to put a light coat of makeup on and curled her ponytail. She didn't bother changing her outfit. Instead, she simply slipped on her shoes and sat on her bed with a huff. Since her mother called around ten minutes ago, she had to be at the house any moment now.

* * *

"Betty, darling! Downstairs!" her mother's voice called from downstairs.

Betty got to her feet and brushed her hand against her pants despite nothing being on them. Then she pushed open the door and head downstairs. Her mother was downstairs with two other people.

"Hello, Betty. This is Erin." she gestured toward a brunette. "While this is Brenn." Alice grinned, pushing back her hair from her face.

"Hi." Betty greeted simply and looked to her mother awkwardly. Why did she need to be down for this? The blond's fists closed and her nails began to dig in her palm. Erin was examining Betty while Brenn seemed completely uninterested. Brenn was pregnant, with dull brown eyes and a large bump while Erin was tiny and skinny with pale blue eyes.

"Erin just asked to see you. I've told her all about you. She wanted to see if the talk was true." Alice was practically spitting poison in Betty's direction with the fakest smile possible. Alice did not like introducing Betty to her friends. "Alright, don't you have some extra credit work? To keep those A's up?" Alice spoke sternly and Betty nodded.

"Yeah. Nice to meet you guys… I guess." Betty murmured, flinching under her mother's look after her added comment. Quickly, she turned and hurried upstairs, shutting her door and looking at herself in the mirror. She really didn't know why her mother like her to get all dressed up for a small introduction. Suddenly noticing her fists were clenched, she unfurled her hands and smoothed her pants.

After about an hour, Betty heard the front door open and close. She hurried to the window and watched her mother and her small posse get in a car and drive off. Betty sighed in relief that her mother was gone and sat down on her bed.

* * *

After a few hours, when the sun had set and night had washed over the sky, Betty was downstairs in the living room. It felt chilling to be on the couch. The same couch she had to sit and watch Hal's haunting video. The memory overcame her before she could even try to stop it.

Hal as a little kid, sitting down on a chair with his mother talking to him about his father and the Conways. "You must do better." the words repeated in Betty's mind, over and over again. Then his father ordering Alice to get out her recorder, then him admitting to everything. Before Betty knew it, she had her legs pressed against her chest and was rocking in fear of the memory. After a moment, she forced herself out of the memory, leaving herself panting for air. Betty pressed the back of her hand to her forehead, it was hot with a headache and fever.

After a moment of calming herself down, a crash of glass breaking sounded from the window in the kitchen, sending glass scatter on the floor. Betty could hear it clatter against the kitchen floor. Someone had broken in.


	5. Chapter 5: Fire

**Chapter Five : Fire**

Betty's gaze raced over to the kitchen, glass freckled the floor. She watched in stunned silence as a blurry shape outside spoke with wild arm gestures to another blurry shape. They weren't inside yet. She just needed to get to her room. Casting one quick look to the blurry shapes, she raced up the stairs.

"Up there!" One of them called out, their voice strikingly familiar. The dark shapes stopped arguing and looked up to Betty.

Betty didn't stop running, she just raced into her room and slammed the door shut. Her whole head felt light and dizzy with fear. Her hands and legs quivered, barely able to hold her weight. As she heard footsteps at the stairs, she hurried to her dresser and pulled open one of the drawers. She rummaged through some clothes for a moment before grabbing what she needed. The gun from Ms. Grundy's car all those months ago.

She held the gun with shaky hands as her doorknob was twisted. Quickly, she dove under her bed, the gun still pointed in the doorway.

"Come out, Betty!" a voice snapped and Betty flinched. Her suspicions were correct.

"Get out my house!" Betty shouted, getting out from under her bed. "Get out!" she yelled again when the masked figures didn't move. One of them took one look at the gun before nudging another one. There were three people, all matching up perfectly to her guesses about who they were.

One of them, the larger one, took a step forward and Betty pointed her gun at him. Her hands were shaking and her palms were sweating.

"Just thought we would cause the same harm your father did to families." the one in the back spoke and brushed all her stuff off her desk. "Go downstairs. Trash there." the figure murmured to the one who hadn't spoke yet. The person nodded and hurried off.

"Did you not hear me? Get out!" Betty screamed, her eyes fierce but hollow with fear. How was she going to pull the trigger? Hurt somebody. Like her father had done.

In Betty's moment of hesitation, the bigger figure swiped the gun from her hands and held it to her temple. Betty let out a quick breath as the gun was pulled from her hands.

"What are you doing?" The man in the back growled to the taller person.

"Now, Betty. Go over there, put your hands behind your head and stay there!" the man with the gun yelled.

Betty gave a hollow nod and walked to the corner of her room. She crouched on her knees and placed her hands behind her head. Her body shook slightly in fear as she stared at the wall. "Get. Out. Of. My. House." she spoke through gritted teeth. She didn't think these people would shoot her, but it was possible.

The people ignored her, replying simply with things being thrown around and shattered to pieces. They were destroying her home. She heard dishes get thrown to the ground, splintering to tiny pieces. She heard chairs break and stuff clatter on the floor. She felt lightheaded.

After about five minutes, she quickly got to her feet and turned to face the person in her room. It was the tall person, holding the gun in his hand and aiming it at her. "Get back down!" the figure growled angrily.

Betty's heart pounded as she narrowed her eyes. Carefully, she kneeled down again. Her hands patted the floor for something, anything. _Perfect_. She gripped a book in her hands. The book Jughead gave her. Then she looked up to the man and threw the book, hitting the gun from his hands. The gun clattered to the ground and Betty jumped to her feet, delivering a hard punch to the man's face.

The man grunted in surprise, before stepping on the gun, keeping both of them from grabbing it.

Betty narrowed her eyes and pulled off the mask the man was wearing. She had her suspicions at first, but it shocked her to see the person no doubt.

"Get out my house, Reggie." Betty growled. Reggie's face was bruised and he had two busted lips. Betty flinched, Jughead had done that to him. Betty let out a gasp of surprise as Reggie pushed her back. She stumbled, losing her footing and falling to the ground.

"Let's get out of here!" one of them men shouted from downstairs.

Reggie glanced at the door, before delivering a kick to Betty's stomach and running out. His footsteps faded and the sounds disappeared. Betty shifted her position, gasping for air. After a small pause, she got her breath back. She let out ragged breaths of air as she grabbed her gun.

Once she was sure the people were gone, she looked around her ravaged room. Sitting on her bed, she let out a sob. Her body quivered at her brush with death and tear flooded her eyesight. She didn't even want to look at the rest of the house.

Betty's shaky hands grabbed her phone. It littered the ground amongst other stuff. She stared at the screen for a moment, fear still fresh in her mind. Then she opened her messages and quickly typed in a message.

 **Betty: Jug**

There was a pause, it stretched for what felt like hours. After seven minutes had passed of her desperately staring at her phone, she decided to try something else.

Dialing 911, Betty held the phone to her ear shakily. "Hello. 911 what's your emergency?" a voice asked and Betty opened her mouth to speak but nothing came out. The voice started again, "Hello?"

"Can I speak to Sheriff Keller?" Betty asked meekly, head aching with fear and worry.

"Of course." the was a pause, some distant speaking before there was an answer. "Betty?" Sheriff Keller started. "Are you okay?"

"No. Somebody broke in… they wrecked everything…" her voice trailed off and she heard the sheriff talk in the distance.

"Are you harmed? Is your mother there?"

"No. I'm not harmed." she looked to her stomach where Reggie had kicked her stomach. No serious wounds though. "My mother is not here…" she answered, her voice quivering. "The people left… nobody is here now."

"Alright. We'll be there as soon as possible." Then the phone went dead and Betty curled up on her bed, sobbing lightly. After a few minutes, a knock appeared at the door and Betty rushed downstairs. She paused to look around at her home. Glass scattered everywhere, tables and chairs broken, it was even worse than in her room.

 _Another knock._

Betty walked to the door and pulled it open to see Sheriff Keller standing at the doorway. He took one look at the house before shaking his head. It was obvious he thought something like this was going to happen.

"I'm going to need you to come to the Sheriff's Department, do you know when your mother will be back?" Keller asked, examining the house and the destroyed stuff.

Betty shook her head to answer her questions. "Let me just grab my jacket." she murmured and hurried upstairs. She searched through the mess of a room before grabbing her jacket and her phone. Then she hurried downstairs and followed the sheriff to his car.

She stared at her phone the whole time, staring at her and Jughead's messages. Was he mad at her? Was that why he wasn't answering?

 **Betty: Jughead. Please talk to me.**

She sent the message before staring at the screen. About three minutes passed before Jughead finally did reply.

 **Jug: Hey Betts.**

 **Jug: What's wrong?**

Betty let out a breath of relief, she felt better just at the fact that he had answered her messages.

 **Betty: I'm with the sheriff**

Less than a few seconds passed before Jughead answered.

 **Jug: Why? Are you okay?**

 **Betty: I'm at the Sheriff department. Please… just go there and I can explain.**

 **Jug: I'll be there**

Betty and Keller pulled up and Betty was led inside. Betty walked with her head down and her feet dragging. Her hands were shoved into her pockets, and tears still pricked at her eyes.

"Now, Betty. I want you to tell me exactly what happened." Sheriff Keller started once they were in the correct room. Betty took a shaky breath, reminded herself Jughead would be there soon, then began to speak.


	6. Chapter 6: Shook

_(This is what's happening in Jughead's POV)_

* * *

 **Chapter Six : Shook**

Jughead was outside in the Serpent camp. Sweet Pea and Toni sat around him as they spoke together in the cool night. Being with the Serpents allowed his mind to take a breather from Betty's sudden frustration with him.

"How's Cheryl?" Jughead asked, sitting back into his chair and looking to Toni with a relaxed expression. The fire crackled in front of them, warming the three younger Serpents as they sat back and spoke with each other.

"Good, actually." Toni started simply, giving a shrug.

The beanie wearing Serpent felt his phone buzz in his pocket and he turned it on, checking and reading the message.

 **Betts: Jug**

Jughead felt himself inwardly flinch. Why was she being so cold with him? Did she think being with him was a mistake? Was she hurting? His eyes narrowed at the thought of Betty suffering with something and him not knowing.

"Jug."

Why had betty dismissed him so quickly. She seemed so stressed about… something. Her mother? Father? School? So many things could be bugging her at the moment.

"Jug."

Jughead stared at his screen absently, he wanted to reply. He really did. What if, what if she was just going to yell at him still. His eyes narrowed and he pressed his hand to his temple, rubbing it to try and stop thinking about her, Betty Cooper. The Girl Next Door.

"Jughead!" Toni snapped, her arms outstretched dramatically.

The teenager looked up with a jolt, surprise edging the corner of his eyes. Annoyance flickered across his face before he dismissed it. "What?" Jughead asked, looking to see Sweet Pea staring at him and laughing. Toni looked clearly annoyed but her expression softened when she saw his phone.

"Is it Betty?" she asked and Jughead narrowed his eyes.

"Doesn't matter. Let's go riding." Jughead shrugged away his thoughts and got up. Sweet Pea accepted it with no comments, just nodding, a smile replacing his awkward frown in an instant. Toni gave a disapproving look before shrugging and putting on her motorcycle helmet.

Jughead glanced at his crown engraved helmet and his mind flittered back to Betty. He pictured her on the back of his back, his helmet nestled on her perfect face. Her perfect eyes watching him with affection. Was Betty actually mad at him? What had he done? The thought hurt, worse then when Toni leaned over and punched him in the shoulder.

"Snap out of it." she laughed, getting on her bike and starting it up. It made a roaring sound before settling into an even, soft growl. Sweet Pea's bike was already started, he wasn't wearing a helmet, causing his black hair to freely go anywhere it pleased.

Jughead blinked, suddenly wearily as he took off his beanie and put his helmet on. Sitting on his own bike, he started it up and sent the two a reassuring look before put his feet on the pedals and driving, trying to allow the roar of the bike to drain out his thoughts.

After a few minutes of riding, Jughead's phone let out a buzz in his pocket. The male sighed in frustration, having just gotten rid of his thoughts about Betty. He gave a wave to Toni and Sweet Pea, who were neck and neck with each other, driving faster and faster to outdrive the first. The two slowed when he waved and he turned before calling them over. "Just wait!" he called and drove his bike to the side of the road. He then put his feet on the floor and turned the bike off before he allowed himself to look at his phone. It was a message from Betty.

 **Betts: Jughead. Please talk to me.**

Jughead scratched the back of his neck and bit his lip in thought. Did she think he was ignoring her? Guilt washed over him like a sudden wave of realization.

 **Jug: Hey Betts.**

He hoped he could use his nickname for her. He didn't was to overstep if she was mad at him. Betty was strong, the strongest. Still, everyone broke down once in a while. Even Jughead himself. Even Betty.

 **Jug: What's wrong?**

 **Betts: I'm with the Sheriff**

Jughead sat up quickly, his eyes furrowing. Was she okay? Quickly he sent a message in reply to her.

 **Jug: Why? Are you okay?**

Stress overwhelmed him as he waited for an answer. Toni parked her bike close by and looked at him in fear. "You good?" Jughead clenched his teeth, waving Toni off.

 **Betts: I'm at the Sheriff's Department. Please… just go there and I can explain.**

 **Jug: I'll be there**

Jughead's answer was immediate and he felt himself strain and he let his head fall back. Was this what she was trying to tell him? Pain struck his heart. He ignored her in a time of need.

"Jughead?" Toni started again, placing a hand on his shoulder. Her eyes were soft and worry pricked at her features. Sweet Pea narrowed his eyes, "Everything good?"

Jughead shrugged Toni's hand away and turned to look at them with a broken look. "No. It's Betty. She's with the Sheriff." he explained, voice strained with stress, worry and guilt. She messaged him and he ignored her! He ignored her! Quickly, he got on his bike and raced off, dust trailing behind him as he left the other two Serpents.

* * *

Jughead parked his bike, placed his helmet on the bike and threw on his beanie before running inside the Sheriff's place. His eyes darted around in worry before they settled on her. Immediately, his heart felt like it had been torn away with claws.

Bags hung under Betty's tear stained face. Her hair was up, but barely, it was rigid and looked as if the ponytail holder was going to fall off. Her knees were brought up to her chest as she sat on a chair. Her eyes were trained on her hands. Her hands! Jughead flinched as he saw her fists closed tightly and blood dripping down her arms and onto her pants.

Jughead hurried over and wrapped his arms around her. "Betty… Oh, Betts…" he murmured, opening her fists and looking down at her bleeding palms. He felt sick, seeing her in this state. He cradled her in his arms for another five minutes before she finally brought her gaze up to face him. She stared at his face for a few moments before who he was finally registered in her face.

"Juggy…" she sobbed, wrapping her arms against him and crying into his chest. Jughead felt guilt topple him over, Betty never broke down. "I thought it was over… I thought it was over…" she repeated over and over again as he continued to hug his body to hers.

He had no clue what had happened, but he couldn't ask her. Not if it risked reminding her of whatever she felt through. Anger spiked through his veins, whoever did this to her… whatever did this to her, was going to suffer.

"Jughead?" a voice started and the beanie wearing teenager looked up to see the sheriff. Jughead looked up at him, still rocking Betty slightly in his arms. She was fast asleep, her eyes hut and her breathing calming from her sobs.

"Sheriff Keller." Jughead addressed and narrowed his eyes. "What happened?" he ordered and looked down to Betty. She looked so miserable. So hurt and sad.

"Some people broke into her house… she was held at gunpoint by one of them while others destroyed her home."

Rage flooded Jughead's eyes. His beautiful Betty held at gunpoint… and he ignored her messages. He left her at that house! "Who?" his voice was low and threatening. Whoever did this, just fell in with the snake pit. Snakes that were going to bite.

"We don't know… Betty was in shock when she was explaining. She told me as much as she could. Is there anywhere she can stay while we search her house? Betty's mother has decided to stay at the house, to clean up after our search… but we all agree her house seems to traumatic for now." Sheriff Keller started and Jughead gave a nod.

"Of course. I'll get a ride to bring her to my house now…" Jughead assured and held his sweet Betty closer to his chest.

Keller's face darkened slightly before he nodded. "Jughead. I want you to know that we will find out who did this." he stated before looking down at his watch and sighing. "I've let Alice and you know. Alice is on her way, we spoke on the phone. Thank you for coming on such short notice." he finished and nodded, turning and walking off with a stressed expression.

Jughead pulled out his phone, ignoring the fact that Betty's bloody palms stained his pants. Quickly, he messaged one of the only people who he knew had a car and wouldn't stress Betty as much.

 **Jughead: Fred? Can you come to the Sheriff's Office?"**

* * *

As Fred Andrews pulled into the trailer park, he looked over his shoulder and at the backseat. Betty was still shaking, her frail body draped over Jughead as she sobbed silently.

Jughead whispered calm phrases to her, ushering her to breath and relax. "You're okay. You're safe now…" he whispered and kissed her forehead. A gesture that seemed to calm her slightly. When Fred parked, Jughead opened the door and picked Betty up. She felt as light and frail as ever.

Gently placing Betty on the bed, he put a blanket over her and getting a wet rag from the bathroom. Betty had her eyes closed, but was still rocking with tremor. Washing the blood from Betty's hands and arms, he let hugged her and kissed her cheek. "You're okay... " he whispered and stayed that way until she drifted asleep.

Once Betty was asleep, Jughead carefully left the room and paced the living room. Pulling out his phone he took a deep breath. He needed to do something, anything to get back at whoever did this to his girlfriend. No matter what it took. His phone rang for a moment after calling who he needed to call. Then it clicked as somebody answered.

"Toni, I need the Serpents help."

* * *

Question: What do you think Jughead will do when he finds out who broke into Betty's house? And who do you think the other two who broke in were?


	7. Chapter 7: Back Again

**Chapter Seven : Back Again**

Betty draped her arm over her eyes, trying to darken the room. Her head pulsed in ache and she shifted in her place. It was dark. Too dark. Panic bloomed in her chest as she moved her arm and still couldn't see. Where was she?

"Betty…" a familiar voice murmured close by. The female flinched in surprise, just making sense that the thing beside her was a person.

"Juggy?" Betty asked softly, head spinning. She knew that voice. It was Jughead! It had to be Jughead's voice.

"Betts… hey… I'm right here… open your eyes…" the voice repeated and a hand was rested of Betty's cheek. The hand was soft, truly the perfect shape. Affection bubbled inside of her when she felt it radiate off him. It was Jughead!

"...open your eyes." the words Jughead had spoken went numb in Betty's mind for a moment before she realized what they meant. Quickly, she flicked open her eyes and everything was there. The simple walls were there. The small bed was there. Her gaze drifted around the room before they finally came back to Jughead.

"Oh! Juggy!" Betty breathed out and hugging his body tightly. He wasn't wearing his Serpent Jacket, but Betty saw that it was just resting on a chair a little bit aways. His wide blue eyes were trained on Betty's scanning her face. His curly black hair ruffled and unkept. His beanie was on, which sent relief flooding through her.

Jughead didn't speak, instead he pulled her in closer, kissing the top of her head. "Are you alright?" he asked softly, stroking her blond, loose hair. He then pulled away slightly and looked her in the eyes. He looked so perfect in the moment, at least to Betty.

Betty looked confused for a moment as he questioned her. "Yeah… I think so." her mind had pushed away all recent events to the back of her head, determined to forgot about the whole thing. After going into shock, she wouldn't let herself remember. The last day was just a blur of some emotion.

Jughead looked unconvinced but dropped the subject and kissed her forehead. "If you say so." something crossed his face. "Here, rest up. Do you need a drink? Or something?" Worry tinged his voice and his eyes narrowed in thoughtfulness.

Betty rolled her eyes and backed away slightly. "No, I'm fine." she sighed and placed her hands on her forehead. Her headache was back already, splintering like a thousand tiny needles. She let out a grunt of pain and closed her eyes. Her brain felt like it was pulsing, making her lightheaded.

The male narrowed his eyes and let out of the hug. He gently placed her on the bed. Jughead stroked her hair and kissed her head. "Here, stay. I'll go get you some water." With that, Jughead moved away carefully and hurried out of the room.

* * *

Betty heard the water turn on, before she heard a loud crash as something fell and crumbled to the floor. The blond flinched and felt something click in her mind.

The masked man pointing a gun at her temple. Her body quivered, feeling numb. "Now, Betty. Go over there, put your hands behind your head and stay there!" his voice was muffled in her memory. Tears pricked down her cheeks and she followed his directions.

She crouched down, her heart pounding. Tears rolled down her face and anger nipped her mind. "Betty!" the man shouted again, the gun aimed straight forward. Her phone rang loudly and she heard her name be called again. "Is this… Betty Cooper?" Penny's voice. Her body shook and she let out a scream.

* * *

Jughead walked into the room and hurried over when he saw Betty. It was just like before. Her eyes were pulled back slightly, her body was shaking. Tears streamed down her face as she sobbed. He hurried over and shook her gently. "Betty!" he called out and shook her.

After a few minutes, Betty stopped and looked up and Jughead. "Jug…" she murmured, relief in her gaze. "Thank goodness you're here." she sighed. Looking over her shoulder she narrowed her eyes. "Where are Veronica and Archie?" fear left her gaze, replaced by confusion. She was trying to push the memory away.

"Betty. Listen to me." Jughead started, cupping her cheeks to get her to face him. His eyes were caring and soft hearted. "What just happened. Tell me." he started seriously. He needed to know what was happening with her.

"Nothin-" Betty started before something clicked in her mind. "They were back. They're haunting me. Like a nightmare I can never wake from."

Jughead wrapped his arms around her and grabbed the water from the counter. "Drink this and tell me who." The Serpent murmured and watched as Betty gave him a nod and sipped her drink. "Who broke in your house?"

Betty took another drink of her water, having sat up and was deep in thought. "I don't know. I masked… man. " she confirmed and thought again, despite the fact that the memory was coming back. "H-he… h-his… his voice… i-it was… familiar." her voice was breaking and softening and tears threatened to spill.

Jughead kissed head and smiled softly. Inside he was over the top with anger. He didn't speak though, just simply moved closer and rubbed her back before massaging her neck to try and allow her headache to pass over. Her neck burned with fever.

"Did you see their faces?" he asked softly and let her lean on his shoulder. The way her body quivered made him look at her in concern. The moment she told him who did this, that person would not see another painless day for as long as he lived.

"Yes. One of their faces I saw. I can't tell you right now. Please. I want to go outside. I want to see Archie and Veronica. I want them to know I'm okay. I'm going to be okay." Betty replied, it seemed she was trying to convince herself more than anything. Her hands quivered before reaching out a gripping Jughead's hand.

Jughead felt himself inwardly frown but nodded. "Of course... " he forced out, but he glowered at the fact that he didn't know who broke into Betty's house. Whoever pointed a gun at her was going to pay! Pulling out his phone, he dialed Archie's number, not having Veronica's.

The phone was answered immediately and Jughead spoke first.

"Archie."

"Jug. How is Betty? Me and Veronica heard about the break in… is she okay?"

"She's doing, okay. Can you and Veronica meet us at Pop's in an hour? She says she wants to see you." Jughead finished, when Archie agreed and hung up. Jughead gave Betty a smile. Betty gave a nod and got to her feet.

"I need a brush." she mumbled and looked around. She looked unstable on her feet for a moment before she seemed to get the hang out it. "...and a shower. Do I have time?" When Jughead nodded, she smiled and opened the bathroom door.

Jughead wanted to go after her, not sure she should be alone anywhere. He was going to follow her before he phone rang. Reaching into his pocket, he fumbled slightly getting it before he checked the name.

 **Penny**

Rage pricked at Jughead as he remembered that fateful night. His hand immediately reached for his indented arm. Where Penny had cut off his Serpent tattoo. LIstening for a moment, he waited to hear the water in the shower turn on. When it did, he answered the call.

"What do you want Penny?" he growled, eyes dark with rage. Rage at the fact Penny thought she could call him. Rage at the fact that someone hurt Betty. Rage at the fact that Penny had used his dad. Rage burned inside him, burning like a fire that had been piled and piled with firewood.

"No need to get all fired up, Jonesy. After all, who got burned that time?" her voice was sly and practically spitting venom with a cool demeanor.

Jughead's facial muscles twitched in anger as he answered. "What do you want?" he asked again, he wouldn't give her anything. It did comfort him that the shower water was still running. He couldn't imagine Betty having to deal with Penny along with everything else.

"You're going to do an errand for me. Tonight-" she started before Jughead interrupted.

"-like hell I will!" he snapped, anger overcoming him. Did she really think, that after everything, he would ever help her? Besides it wasn't like he even had anything to lose if she did anything. His father was retired, his mother and sister were away, and Penny didn't know how to reach any of his friends.

"You will." Penny replied, a laugh echoing through the phone. "Or your gorgeous Betty Cooper will suffer." she held out the word 'Betty' and Jughead felt himself feel anger pulse throughout him. When Jughead didn't speak, she continued. "I've spent the last while finding her. Learning about her. Need proof, Jonesy?" Penny laughed and hung up.

Archie let out a breath of relief before the phone rang again. He looked down at his phone only to see it wasn't the phone being called. He followed the sound to a pile of Betty's clothes and pulled out her phone.

 **Unknown Number**

He answered, not caring if he had Betty's phone and was answering her calls. If it was Penny, Betty was in danger. Lots of danger.

"Hello?" Jughead started, acting normal at the start. Anger spiked underneath his skin and his eyes narrowed in wait for an answer. His teeth were clenched and his breathing was quiet and dangerous.

"Hey, Jonesy. Miss me?"

* * *

 _Question: What favor do you think Penny will ask?_

 _Quick thing. I want to thank all of you so much for reading my book! It means so much to me! Thank you all!_


	8. Chapter 8: Talk

**Chapter Eight : Talk**

Jughead's gripped the phone tighter in his hands, before softening his grip, not wanting to break Betty's phone. His voice became low and dangerous, Penny Peabody, the Snake Charmer had his Betty's phone.

"The hell you want, Penny?" Jughead asked darkly. He had to do what she said. What if he said no and something happened to Betty? He wouldn't let anything happen to her, especially in her state. Jughead bit down on his lip and rubbed his temple with his hand.

"Meet me in Fox Forest tonight. Midnight. Come alone. They'll be something there. I want you to take it and read the instructions. Follow those instructions. If you don't…" she left herself trail off, not saying what they both knew already.

"Alright." Jughead agreed coldly, quickly turning the phone off, he put it back and ran his hands through his hair. He felt lightheaded. Fear pricked his skin and he swallowed hard, head spinning. _Toni_. He needed to speak with the Serpents. So many things flickered across his mind. _Penny. Whoever broke into Betty's place. Betty._

Jughead walked over to the couch, sitting down with a heavy thud and narrowing his eyes in thought. What was he going to do? A buzz came from his hands and he snapped out of his trance, realizing he had grabbed his phone before he walked over to the couch. It was a message from Toni.

 **Pink: Sweet pea brought your bike over already**

 **Pink: What happened with the Betty stuff?**

Jughead bit his tongue, eyes furrowing in frustration. Not well. Betty was freaked out. School was daunting both of them. Penny was threatening Betty. Somebody broke into Betty's house. Everything led down to Betty. So, 'Betty stuff' wasn't just a reply that could be texted.

Some people would even leave Betty, but speaking from experience, that wasn't what Betty needed. He had pushed her away once when she was in danger, and it was not good for either of them. She really needed somebody, he had to be there for her.

 **Jug: Intense. We need to talk.**

 **Pink: Talk? Thats never good.**

 **Jug: I know. Are you free around five?**

 **Pink: Yeah sure**

Jughead nearly jumped out of his skin when Betty leaned on the couch beside him. "Hey, you." she spoke, a certain tense vibe still echoed in her eyes, but her shower seemed to have calmed her slightly. Her hair was down, hanging past her shoulders. A towel was draped around her neck, keeping her damp hair from soaking her back. She was wearing one of Jughead's old shirts, and she kept pulling it down so too much of her skin didn't show on her legs.

"Betty! You scared me!" he laughed and clicked his phone off. She was truly beautiful. Her face was free of any red and white crying splotches. Her makeup was gone, so it wasn't streaked down her face.

"I thought the Serpent King wasn't scared of anything." Betty grinned and took a seat beside him. She looked visibly more relaxed, and rested her head against his shoulder.

"The Serpent King only fear his Serpent Queen." Jughead replied playfully and kissed Betty's forehead. "Now, let's get you dressed so we can head out." Jughead was already dressed when he fell asleep, so he just needed his beanie. Normally he would shower, but they didn't have time if they wanted to meet Veronica and Archie.

Betty shrugged and got to her feet, she looked over to her clothes and Jughead flinched as he saw something flicker in her eyes. A memory perhaps. Jughead stood up and embraced her once more before pulling back, just to let her know he was there. That she wasn't back in her house robbing.

After a moment of pause, Betty hurried over to her clothes and Jughead looked away, looking back to his phone for any messages.

Betty carefully got off Jughead's bike and he looked over to her. "I'm fine, Jug." she assured him and rubbed her temple. Last night's events repeated over and over in her mind but she had to convince Jughead not to worry.

Her hands quivered slightly as they clenched. Her nails were stained red with fresh blood. She had managed to wash away some blood in her shower, but being on the motorcycle, alone with her thoughts brought the blood back. Blood trickled in her palm and she looked too Jughead in worry. He couldn't see.

"I'll be right back." she said hurriedly, rushing to the bathroom. He looked after her as if about to call out, but the door slammed shut before he could speak. Pop smiled as Betty walked into the diner, grinning widely.

"Betty! Great to see you, how are you holding up?" he asked and Betty just gave a smile. Did everybody know?

"Just fine. Thanks." she spoke with no emotion. She crossed her arms slightly, trying to hide the blood on her hands from people. Nobody other than Jughead and Chic knew she ravaged her hands, she wasn't going to let anyone else know. Betty scratched her neck gently and awkwardly.

Walking over to bathroom and running her hands under the water. She watched the blood pool into the drain. It stung like tiny needles digging into his hand. It burned, more than just burned even.

Tears threatened to spill from her green eyes and she brought her gaze up to the mirror. She looked horrible. Her hair was in a ponytail, but it wasn't the best ponytail she had ever done. Her clothes were obviously not newly washed and she had no makeup on. What would her mother say? Taking a breath, she pulled herself together and pushed open the door.

Jughead was leaning against the wall in what looked like deep thought. When he saw her, he smiled gently and readjusted his beanie. "You okay?" he asked, gaze traveling down to her hands. He knew.

"No." she sighed before shrugging. "Let's get to Archie and Veronica." she sighed and flinched away from his hand when he offered them to her. Even if he already knew about her hands, she wouldn't let him see them. It would hurt him and her more than both of them could handle.

Archie and Veronica were already in a booth, sitting together. Veronica was looking out the window worriedly and Archie was swirling his shake with a spoon. She shared a look with Jughead before he took a seat and she sat beside him.

"Oh! B!" Veronica spoke in a high pitched squeal, as if seeing Betty okay was better than getting a thousand dollars. Her raven haired friend's lips pouted and she reached for Betty's hands. Betty caught Jughead's worry glance and tried blocking it out. She weakly reached out and grabbed Veronica's hands.

Pain seared through Betty's body when Veronica held onto her hands giddily. She felt Jughead wrap his arms around her and tried to relax. After a moment, Veronica let go and Betty pulled her hands back quickly, fighting the urge to cry. Archie looked at Betty but not at all at her hands. He glanced at her lips before quickly to her eyes.

"What happened? Are you alright?" something flickered in his eyes, shame possibly. Betty prickled, was it because he thought of kissing her just now or because he lived next door and didn't notice somebody broke into her house? A part of Betty wanted to lean into Jughead, but she was too annoyed to do so.

"Someone broke in." she replied sourly before looking to Veronica and giving her a frustrated smile. Trying to show that she wasn't annoyed with Veronica, but Archie. "I'm just fine." she added simply and looked up when Pop came over. He sat two milkshakes in front of Jughead and Betty. A strawberry milkshake for Jughead and a vanilla for Betty.

"Thank you." Betty murmured and Jughead nodded in agreement, already started to drink his. Archie was quiet again and when Betty looked over, she saw him watching her lips with longing once again. Betty looked away quickly, scooting back into her seat and farther from Archie. He had his chance, and he chose Veronica. So he needed to stick with her!

Betty stared at her milkshake and a hunger dawned over her. She hadn't eaten since, she actually didn't know when. Jughead seemed to see this and his gaze softened but he said nothing, much to Betty's gratitude. She didn't want more attention. Biting on the straw, she quickly drank some milkshake.

After a moment of silence, a waiter came over and Betty stayed quiet, despite wanting to order something. Jughead on the other hand, didn't waste any time. "Two burgers and one large fry." he requested and Veronica gave him a wild look. Betty let out a soft chuckle at how much food Jughead had ordered. Maybe she would be able to grab a fry or something.

"So… how's school?" Betty started, trying to spark up some conversation. Any conversation was fine really. She then took another drink of her milkshake, sighing at the sweet flavor. It was plain, like her. Simple tastes.

"Oh, okay. Boring, I guess." Veronica broke off, thinking before a smile washed over her face and she laughed softly. "Reggie and Moose got in a fight. I'm not sure what about but I swear your na-" she stopped herself quickly and looked down to her milkshake. "... you know, nevermind. It wasn't even that interesting."

Betty looked up at her and frowned. They must've thought she would snap at the simplest mention on Reggie. Jughead on the other hand, actually looked interested. His eyes were wide and a dark edge tinted the corners. "When?" Jughead asked quickly, his eyes focused intently on Veronica. 

"Umm… yesterday. After you guys left…" Veronica spoke uncomfortably and looked to her nails in a way to distract herself. "Sorry. I shouldn't have mentioned it." the gorgeous teenager looked honestly embarrassed as she leaned on Archie's shoulder.

"No. Did you hear what they were arguing about?" Jughead pressed and Betty narrowed her eyes, giving Jughead a shake of the head.

"Juggy, it's fine. Leave it." Betty whispered and looked at the table awkwardly. What was he doing? The ponytailed female tightened her ponytail before sneaking a look to Veronica and Archie. Veronica pressed her lips together, not sure what to do. Archie just looked blank.

"Yeah, drop it Jughead." Archie growled and Betty looked up to see the two start glaring at each other. Archie's voice was cold and truly frightening but Jughead brushed it off as calmly as he could.

"Alright." he replied simply and looked up as the waitress put their food on the counter. Jughead ate one of the burgers while everyone else went quiet. Once he had eaten, he looked to Betty. "I'm not hungry anymore, want the other burger?" Jughead asked casually.

Betty wanted to agree wholeheartedly, but remained quiet for a moment. "I don't know. I wouldn't want to steal food from you." Betty grinned and Jughead rolled his eyes, and waved his hand, as if dismissing the subject.

"Just eat. I'll have some fries." Jughead grinned and Betty caved, taking small bites despite how hungry she was. Archie watched with slightly unimpressed eyes and Betty looked up to see him looking at her with a hint of disgust and longing. Betty boiled and glared at him. "Do you have a problem?" Betty asked coldly.

Jughead looked up from eating when he heard Betty and his gaze traveled over to Archie before darkening. Betty didn't know what Jughead was thinking but it didn't look positive. Veronica stopped hugging Jughead's arm and edged closer to the window, confused.

"No, just. You never used to eat that much…" Archie started awkwardly and rubbed the back of his neck. Betty felt herself internally scream at him. Archie had Veronica! Betty had Jughead! Archie needed to stop being so entirely cocky and settle for one person!

Jughead opened his mouth in rage but Betty silenced him with a calm touch to the shoulder. "Let me handle this." she murmured quietly and fixed Archie with a look. "Does that bother you? That I'm eating a burger instead of starving myself like before? Hmm? I mean, it's not like you have a girlfriend or anything, so what's the harm in shaming your best friend's girlfriend about how much they eat?" Betty scoffed and shook her head.

Archie didn't say anything, he just got up and stormed off. Veronica paused, not sure where to go. She looked angry with somebody, but Betty wasn't sure who. Archie? Jughead? Or even Betty herself? Betty shrugged and leaned into Jughead, exhausted. After a moment, Veronica looked to Betty and sighed.

"B? Do you wanna… go somewhere to unwind?" she turned to Jughead and mustered up all her courage and enthusiasm. "Can I steal her from you?" she asked softly. 

Jughead, looking down at his phone, gave a nod. "Sure. See you later, Betts." he forced out, even though he looked reluctant to let her leave. He gave her one more tight hug before smiling and watching Betty and Veronica push open the doors and disappear.

Betty paused, looking at him once more. Something remained distant in his eyes, a plan. Jughead was planning something.


	9. Chapter 9: Midnight

**Chapter 9 : Midnight**

Jughead watched the diner door swing shut and looked out the window, watching Betty and Veronica wrap themselves in a hug before Veronica led Betty over to her car. Jughead felt a prickle of surprise that Veronica's driver wasn't there. The two talked for a moment, before Veronica got in the driver's seat and and the car rumbled off.

The male watched Betty looked at the diner in worry. Jughead offered her a smile through the window, despite the fact it was unlikely Betty saw. On a more unfriendly note, Archie walked back in his home's direction with his hands in his pockets.

Archie and Jughead used to be close. How had they gotten so strained? Was it Veronica? No. When Archie cancelled on their road trip he started the strain. Jughead had almost thought their friendship was healed before he started acting like he did in the diner. Nobody was allowed to judge Betty, nobody.

On that note, Jughead got up, checked his phone and bit his lip as he read his and Toni's last text. It was currently 1:13. He still had three hours and forty-five minutes before having to meet Toni. Making it ten hours and forty-five minutes before he had to be at Fox Forest.

Fox Forest. What was he going to do? He was just going to get more and more tangled up in this Penny mess. Still, it was better than Betty getting brought in. Penny was dangerous, he didn't even want to think about what would happen to Betty if he did anything wrong.

Jughead watched as a waitress came over, he fumbled with his wallet quickly before narrowing his eyes. Two dollars off.

"I hope you enjoyed your stay!" the waitress grinned and started gathering up the garbage on the counter, stacking the empty milkshakes on a tray.

Jughead narrowed his eyes before nodding in realization. Veronica. At least they hadn't left him to pay. Jughead rose to his feet and walked to his motorcycle, ignoring Pop's call of goodbye. He had to much to think about to worry about pleasantries.

Jughead got on his bike and pulled his beanie off, replacing it with his crown helmet and starting up the bike. Then he hurried off, driving to his trailer to clear his mind. Wind buffeted his face, burning his cheeks with freezing wind. Despite it being close to summer, the wind was cold on a bike nonetheless.

* * *

When five rolled around, Jughead got off his couch and rubbed his temples stress-fully. After all his time thinking, he couldn't come up with anything. So much for being a detective. So much for breaking two murder cases. What good was that if he couldn't help Betty?

He knew Betty was safe now. If she was at Veronica's, she was safe. At least from Penny. The Lodge's had security. At least that marked off one thing from his list at the moment of things to think about. He had Toni had decided that they would meet at Jughead's.

A knock thudded at the door and Jughead drew his gaze up to the trailer door. That had to be Toni. Or Betty. He hoped it was Toni. Jughead walked over to the door and opened it, feeling comforted at the fact that he had a knife on him. Just in case.

"Jughead!" Toni grinned and pushed open the door completely, letting herself in. Then her demeanor darkened as memories flickered through her eyes. "What did you want to talk about?" she asked and shut the door, leading herself to the couch and sitting down with a huff.

Jughead watched her with a prickling sensation, then he clicked the lock shut and walked over to the living area. He leaned against the wall of the trailer and looked at Toni. She had to be able to help him.

"What I tell you, you can't tell anyone else. Okay?" Jughead confirmed and covered his mouth with his hand gently and in thought. He took a deep breath and when Toni nodded her agreement, he continued. "It's Betty."

Toni let out an exasperated groan and checked her phone. "Really? I missed being with Cheryl for this? Girl talk?"

"Toni! It's not girl talk! She's been threatened! She's been robbed! She's been pushed around by everyone… she's even having panic attacks!" Jughead snapped, rage edging his words. She needed to understand! Betty was in danger! It was just some stupid girl talk.

Toni sat up slightly, putting her phone down. "Wait what? Threatened? Panic attacks? You didn't tell me about those parts. Threatened by who?" she continued, but the dread in her eyes proved she had her suspicions.

"Penny Peabody." He answered and closed his eyes in frustrated thought. "Penny said she would hurt Betty if I didn't follow her instructions." he didn't want to tell her about Fox Forest. Not yet. He let his hand fall to his side again, head resting against the wall with anxiety.

"The Snake Charmer's back?" Toni hissed and forgot all about her relaxed stance. A frown fumbled at her face, and rage glistened in her eyes. "What. Instructions?" She growled and narrowed her eyes. Her breathing was sharp and frustrated, anger biting at her gaze.

"None yet. I just… what do I do?" he asked, voice rippling with guilt, sadness and so much more. He swallowed his grief, forcing himself not to show how he really felt. Devastated. Horrible.

"Jughead…" she started and let out a sigh. "I'm not sure. Do what she says. Me and Cheryl with think of a plan. I promise."

"No, nobody can know of this!" Jughead growled and shook his head in frustration. One look from Toni and he sighed sadly. "Fine. Don't let her tell anyone though. Please? I don't know what Penny would do if I told anyone. Even telling you is a risk." he grumbled and he ran his hand through his hair in anger.

He was helpless in this scenario. All he could play was the sacrificial lamb to protect Betty. Slamming his fist on the wall, he slid into a sitting position and rested his head against the wall.

Toni got off from the couch and crouched down, placing a hand on his shoulder. For once, he didn't shrug it off. "Hey… I'm sorry." she murmured, awkwardness echoing in her voice.

"No need." Jughead shrugged her hand away finally before looking to her. A small smile played at his lips and he heard her phone buzz. "Thanks for listening. Go hang out with Cheryl. I don't mind." he grinned and stood up, shrugging his feelings away.

Toni gave him an accusing look, before putting her hands in the hair and backing away. "If you say so, Jones." she replied, defeatedly. Then, she grabbed her phone and a real smile flittered to her lips. She quickly typed in a reply and huffed, trying to calm herself. "I got to go. Cheryl just asked me to go hang with her." Toni grinned and waved goodbye, hurrying out the door.

Jughead watched the door shut and sighed, letting himself frown again. When was the last time he had Betty had gone on a carefree date? A while was the answer. Jughead let out a chuckle and shook his head at his and Betty's dates. On that note, none of their dates were carefree. They had investigating hang outs. None of them were the touchy type. Right?

The beanie wearing teenager pushed his thoughts away and head to the bedroom. He laid down and put his arms behind his head, closing his eyes. Midnight. He had until midnight to relax.

Of course, his break was cut short as a text dinged from his phone. Jughead grabbed the phone and held it in front of him. It was from Betty.

 **Betts: Think I'm gonna stay at Veronica's for the night. Love you.**

 **Jug: Sure. Love you.**

Jughead let out a sigh of relief. She was safer there anyways. Thank goodness Veronica was letting Betty stay there. Besides, now he could leave and not have to worry about Betty waking up alone.

With this message of relief, he managed to sit back and drift off. Eyes closed and breathing leveling out before he began to fall asleep. It wasn't deep sleep, but it was rest. Which was good enough for now.

* * *

Jughead awoke with a yawn, blinking tiredly. A sense of calmness flowed in his veins before he jolted from his bed. He was fully clothed, he still had his beanie on. Confusion tinted his gaze for a moment before he remembered. Betty. Penny. Fox Forest.

Jughead's hand immediately went for his phone, grabbing it before checking the time. Her heart sank when he saw there was only half an hour until midnight. The beanie wearing teen tore off his hat before putting on his helmet. His heart pounded in his chest. What if he was late. Would Betty suffer if he was late?

Jughead arrived at Fox Forest around forty-five minutes later, parking his bike before hurrying off. He scanned the sign before feeling the shivers. This was were Moose had been shot. Jughead quickly pushed away the thought and searched the ground.

After a few minutes, he found a box hidden under the roots of a tree. The Serpent emblem was imprinted on the top, like a seal. This had to be it. The box was smaller, but not small by any means. Jughead pulled out his knife from his pocket and cut the top, peeling the box open.

Inside, was a note and drugs. The note sat on top of stacks and stacks of drug and Jughead's face screwed up. Once again, he was her drug delivery boy. He unfurled the note and read it.

 _Jonesy. Good to write to you again. I have a package for you! Surprise! Now, here is the address for you to drop it off at. You have until one to get it there. So, an hour. Now. I know you'll do it. Because If you don't… do you really think Betty is safe at the Lodge's? Here's the address._

Reading over the address a few times, Jughead wanted to scream and punch Penny's lights out, but he couldn't do either. Putting his head in his hands, Jughead felt the paper crumble in his grip. How did Penny know? Who was working with her?

Stuffing the note in his pocket, he closed the box and picked it up. It was heavy. Full with drugs no doubt. Getting caught would not be good. Probably worse than anything he he was being honest. He put the box in the newly added bag on the side of his bike and started it up, revving out of the forest as quick as possible.

The delivery was long and cold. Still, he managed to deliver it with around five minutes until one. Exhaustion tugged at his eyes, despite the nap he took, he was tired beyond measures. Jughead parked hi bike at the trailer park, throwing the tarp over it to hide it. Not like anybody would dare, he was after all the Serpent King.

Jughead unlocked his trailer before walking inside. It felt chilling, despite the fact that he lived there. At least Betty hadn't been left at home alone. At least she was safe, for now, at Veronica's. For now. For as long as Jughead kept his deliveries up she would be safe from Penny and the Ghoulies.

Taking off his Serpent jacket, he tossed it carelessly on the couch and did the same with his beanie. Then he changed into the clothes he slept in and laid on his bed, closing his eyes. Within a few moments, he was asleep.

* * *

 _Question: Do you guys/gals want to see what Betty was doing during this time? It's just a bunch of Veronica and Betty girl time but it's up to you! Thanks for reading once again!_


	10. Chapter 10: Hugs

**Chapter Ten : Hugs**

Betty pushed open the door, holding it open to Veronica before walking outside with the raven-haired teenager. Once outside, Betty let her friend take the lead. Her gaze crossed over Archie's form. His hands were in his pockets and guilt filled his eyes. Betty's gaze softened before she heard Veronica call her.

"B! Are you okay? Like, really?" Veronica asked, and Betty snapped her gaze from Archie and hurried over to her friend.

"I don't know." Betty admitted and let out a heave of a sigh. She had pressed her palms against her pants to keep her nails from harming her hands.

Veronica wrapped her arms around Betty, and Betty hugged her back. Veronica's arms were comfortable, but not as comfortable as Jughead's arms. Still, for the time being, this was enough. After a moment, Veronica pulled away, face soft with adoration for Betty.

"Come on, I'll drive. We'll go to my home and watch movies and eat ice cream." Veronica grinned and Betty rolled her eyes humorously.

"I didn't have a break up. I got robbed." Betty joked, but her words were serious and not funny at all. Veronica didn't laugh. A frown darkened her expression and sighed, then she brightened up again, pushing away any sadness or grief for her friend.

"Whatever. Ice cream is amazing and I love movies. Come on, get in the car." The raven-haired grinned and opened the door the the black Fire-bird. It was the car that belonged to Archie for a short period of time, before it was given back and Veronica painted it black.

Betty smiled and got in the car, tightening her ponytail so the band didn't come out when Veronica was driving. Her arm rested lightly against the car door and she looked to the diner window. She found the booth they had sat in.

Veronica started the car up and the car moved forward with a smooth start.

Betty looked at the window, she saw Jughead and worry trickled in her eyes. He smiled at her and her eyes narrowed slightly. What was he doing behind her back? Serpent stuff? Though the car continued forward and Betty couldn't see Jughead anymore, his look remained in her eyes, those eyes. Did he know Reggie was the one who broke in?

"Elizabeth Cooper." A voice shot down her thoughts. Betty turned to Veronica, who looked at her with a concerned look. "God Betty, what's that look for?" she asked and took one hand off the wheel, rubbing Betty's arm.

"Sorry, V. I was just… thinking. I've done a lot of thinking lately. I'll try to-" she started before Veronica interrupted quickly, not letting her finish what she was saying.

"Betty! Enough! Come on. With me, you can feel however you want to. It's your night to unwind. You can have that, right? One night of just relaxing? You don't need to impress or be strong for me, okay?" Veronica's voice was soft but stern as she spoke and a smile flicked to Betty's face.

"Alright, V. Let's unwind."

* * *

An hour later, the two were sprawled out on the couch in Veronica's house. Betty was in Veronica's blue satin sleepwear and Veronica wore her black embroidered kimono with white flowers. Betty had convinced Betty to let her hair down and she so did but with the promise that Veronica removed her makeup so they could put makeup on each other.

A silk blanket covered the two and they sat on the largest couch on seperate sides. Veronica was sitting while typing on the computer in her lap while Betty had her feet on the couch, wearing the white socks she wore the whole day.

"How about… 'The Notebook'?"

"Never. Who even watches that anymore?" Betty murmured and waved her hand in dismissal. Her hair fell in front of her face and she narrowed her eyes, moving the hair from her eyes. This is why she liked ponytails.

"Excuse me! A lot of people happen to love 'The Notebook'!" her friend replied hotly before dropping the subject. "Fine. What about… 'To All The Boys I've Loved Before'?"

"Sure, V. Start it. Then go grab your makeup kit. Time to switch styles while watching Romance movies." Betty grinned, laughing softly to herself and watching as Veronica put the computer down on the end table in the middle of the living room and hurrying off.

After a few moments, Veronica hurried back and plopped herself on the couch, covering herself with the blanket again. "Okay, sit up. You can do me first. Here's all the makeup I've got." the teenager smiled and handed Betty a large case of makeup.

Betty opened the first pouch and looked the contents. The first one was full of lipsticks of all colors and shapes. "Goodness, V. Do you really need so much?" she didn't wait for an answer, pulling out a pink shade and placing it aside. She picked out of a few more light makeup options that would fit Veronica's complexion.

"Okay, come closer and let me put this on you." Betty added softly and began putting the makeup on her friend's gorgeous face. Veronica was beautiful with and without makeup. After a few minutes, Betty pulled back. "Okay! No looking yet. NOw you pick something out for me."

Veronica had the pink lipstick and mascara on her eyes, Betty had decided to skip the fake eyelashes, for she never did that herself anyways. A light blush played at Veronica's cheek and the rest of the makeup was light and hardly noticeable.

Veronica smiled and nodded, putting away the makeup Betty used and pulling out darker, bolder stuff. Betty narrowed her eyes at the choices, nervous about how it was going to turn out. Veronica picked out a dark red lipstick and dark eyeliner. She pulled out fake eyelashes and bold black mascara and Betty cringed. How was she going to pull something so confident off?

"Okay, got my choices. Ready?" Veronica asked and Betty gave a timid nod.

Ten minutes passed and Betty was feeling even more nervous than before. Betty never took this long to do makeup. Never. Finally, Veronica pulled back and put her makeup back in the case. "Okay! Done!" she bubbled and threw the blanket over the back of the couch.

Betty got the message and stood up, Veronica copying her. Together they walked towards Veronica's mirror to get a look at themselves in her mirror. Veronica was excited. Betty was terrified. The raven-haired beauty looked amazing. Betty had no clue how she looked.

The two closed their eyes when they reached the room, Veronica grabbed Betty's hand and led her to the mirror. "Ready? On three."

"One."

"Two."

"Three!"

Betty and Veronica's eyes flashed open and Veronica let out a squeal of excitement. "Betty! I look amazing!" The female bounced up and down before looking to Betty in worry that she hadn't said anything.

Betty eyebrows were black and dark, she had long lashes and her lipstick was so… dark. Still, she couldn't help but feel like it. "V. I'm not sure how you do it… but I love it!" Betty squealed and the two wrapped themselves in a hug. "Come on! Let's go finish watching our weird show."

Her friend grinned and nodded, hurrying after Betty and settling themselves on the couch. There positioning was different this time. They sat close together, the blanket over their laps as they watched and laughed over the show in front of them.

* * *

It had to be hours later when Betty's eyes flicked open. She had fallen asleep. Betty drew her gaze to her phone before practically jumping up in surprise. Five thirty? Betty thought of Jughead and quickly started to text him.

 **Betty: Think I'm gonna stay at Veronica's for the night. Love you.**

Betty leaned back into the couch. Veronica was laying down now, watching the new movie with bored eyes. Cupcakes sat perfectly beside her, open. Betty smiled when she remembered when Veronica brought her cupcakes when they got in their first fight.

 **Jug: Sure. Love you.**

A smile fluttered to Betty's face and she settled back into the couch. The raven-haired teenager beside her took the smile as a good thing and avoided asking her anything. "Have a nice nap, sleeping beauty?" she asked and Betty rubbed her neck, putting her phone on the couch and settling back.

"Just fine, thank you very much." she replied and Veronica smiled, turning her gaze back to the movie. She looked kind of awkward and proud, with a sly smirk on her face. Looking over at the screen, Betty let out a laugh at what it was.

"'The Notebook'? Really, V? How long was I asleep?" she asked, unable to truly be mad for Veronica was her best friend and it was just a movie. A boring movie but a movie nonetheless. Maybe other people did like it.

"About an hour. We finished snacking and I started 'Rebel Without a Cause' but then got bored because you fell asleep. So I changed it." Veronica shrugged and Betty let out a laugh. She felt grateful towards Veronica, for being there when she was in a tough time, just being there to make Betty laugh.

"Any more cupcakes left?" Betty asked and her friend replied by handing her the box. There was. The blond opened the box and took a breath, letting the cupcake's smell fill her mind. Then she pulled out one of the vanilla ones and put the box on the end table, taking a bite of the cupcake.

The two were silent for a moment, before a thick tension hung in the air. "Betty?" Veronica started, pausing the movie. Her voice sounded concerned and Betty mentally screamed. Did everyone have to treat her like this? Like she couldn't handle herself? For god's sake she caught Cliff, and Hal! She had been through so much, a little break in was not what she wanted to talk about.

"What?" Her answer was short and even though emotion swirled it, annoyance was the easiest to pick out.

"Are you okay? Really? I need to know." the gorgeous teen started and Betty narrowed, her eyes, sitting up straight and putting her cupcake on the top of the box with a frustrated sigh.

"Yes! I'm fine! Everybody keeps asking that, I can take care of myself." Betty snapped, pulling away from her friend's gentle touch when Veronica put her hand on Betty's arm. "Okay? I'm fine!" she hissed and looked away from Veronica, not willing to make eye contact.

"God Betty. We know you are not okay! _I_ know your not okay! Just a few minutes ago you fell asleep at four like you hadn't had a good sleep in days, you ate the burger at Pop's faster than I thought possible for you and then you started eating all these cupcakes. Betty, that cupcake was your fourth. Clearly, you haven't been eating. Bags hang at your eyes every time I see you and I feel like at the simplest things you freeze up or lash out! I want to help and you are not letting me!" Veronica snapped back and put her hands on Betty's shoulder, forcing them to make eye contact.

"So what?" Betty's voice shook and she closed her eyes tightly as tears slipped down from her eyes. "What do you want to hear?"

"The truth. Everything. Tell me everything. I promise I won't tell anyone else." Veronica's wrapped Betty in a hug, rubbing her back as Betty began to cry softy. Betty knew it was time to open up. She had to. Veronica deserved to know. Jughead deserved to know. Maybe by telling Veronica, she could push aside her guilt about not telling Jughead.

"Alright. No telling." she confirmed and when Veronica nodded she started talking. She spoke through her crying, letting all the emotions she had hidden spill over and come free.

Betty told Veronica of her mother, and how she took everything out on Betty. She told her about her hopes Polly would come back and how she never did. She cried as she told her about getting the messages from Penny and not telling Jughead. She told Veronica about how she was so panicked she could hardly breath the break in. She told Veronica about Reggie, and him being the one who broke in. She told Veronica about Hal and her struggles with even seeing him. She told her about the panic attacks and everybody's judging and pitying words and when she finished unloading her heartbreak she broke out into a sob. The only thing she left out was her hands. Nobody could know about her hands. Nobody but Jughead.

Veronica wrapped her welcoming arms around Betty. "I'm sorry… I'm so sorry… I didn't know… I should have waited and let you tell me on your own accord…" she murmured. The words could have been taken at pity but Veronica spoke them with such grief and honesty that the thought was brushed off instantly.

"Thank you. I needed to tell somebody but I didn't know who to tell. Just please, don't tell anyone. About anything. Please?" Betty asked weakly and Veronica hugged her tighter.

"I promise I won't."

With those four words, Betty knew that Veronica was there for her. As long as she didn't say anything, which Betty knew she wouldn't, Betty could finally let the weight on her shoulders finally shift.

* * *

 _Hope you liked it! Are you as glad as I am that Betty finally told someone everything? In case you didn't know, this is what is happening when Jughead is doing what he does in Chapter 9._


	11. Chapter 11: Cuts and Bruises

**Chapter Eleven : Cut and Bruises**

Betty stood outside of the Pembrook, Veronica beside her. "Are you sure I can't give you a ride?" Veronica pleaded and pouted her lip. It was morning now, the sun dancing warmly above the sky. Veronica had a black lace dress with a white collar. She wore a black dress coat, blocking herself from the chilly morning weather.

"I'm fine V. You've already let me borrow an outfits. You've done enough." Betty murmured softly and gave her friend a hug. "Thank you. Remember our promise." she added quickly before turning and tightening her ponytail.

The reason she decided to walk by herself was because she needed to stop at her house. She knew nobody would let her alone, but this was something she had to do. She needed to clean up and get new clothes, her own clothes.

Veronica looked as if she wanted to say more but decided against it. "Of course, B." she smiled and Betty turned, starting her walk home.

* * *

Veronica was right, it was a long walk. Impossibly long. Still, it flew by to Betty. She paused at the front of her door. The window was still shattered, and it was clear objects still littered the floor.

Pushing open the door, she flinched at the fact that it was unlocked. Was her mother even home?

"Mom?" Betty started, and was answered with silence. Cold, dreadful silence.

Everything was exactly how she had left it, every tiny detail. Her mother hadn't even gone home. Where was she staying then? Where could she possibly be staying other than here? The Register?

Crouching on a knee, she began to pile glass in one pile and stuff that could be saved in another. Tears slid down her face and in a silent sob she kept sorting. Glass cut into her hands, palms and blood dripped onto the floor in a mangled mess. She would need to use a mop before leaving.

After around two hours, the house was as clean as possible. Blood still smeared her hands and she still needed to mop. Many pieces of her house were missing, lamps, dishes, the television even. Her garbage was filled and trash bags filled to the brim with broken items rested against walls.

Walking numbly to the sink, she turned on the water. Glass marks covered her bloody hands. Tiny pieces of glass were jabbed into her palms and all over her hands. It hurt worse than what her nails could do. Still, she was slightly resistant to the pain. Slightly. Placing her hands in the water, the blood washed off. Her hands burned with pain at the feeling of water against her shaky, pierced hands.

After the blood was removed, she sat down on the table, since most of the chairs were broken, and looked to her hands. With one of her gnarled hands, she pulled pieces of glass from her other hand, putting the pieces in a pile. Then she did the same for the other hand and washed her hands with water again. Next, she used a towel to scoop up the glass and threw it away.

Wrapping her hands adhesive wrap, she pulled out the mop and began to clean her blood from the floors. Once she put away the mop she let out a sigh as she fell to the couch in a sitting position. She looked around her house and frowned. It was horrible, truly.

When her phone buzzed in her black jeans, her head reached for it and picked it up. Her hands ached at the simple touch of her phone on her gnarled, cut hands. Maybe she should have worn gloves or swept instead of handpicking the glass. Still, in a way, the pain was able to remove her worries, or at least distract them.

 **Unknown Number**

Betty felt a shiver run through her spine, the Black Hood was enlisted under Unknown Number. Quickly, she pushed away her fear and answered it, holding the phone to her ear. "Hello?" she questioned and took a breath. Worry flickered through her eyes, and she was glad whoever was calling couldn't see her fear.

"Betty Cooper." The familiarity of the voice sent cruel shivers down Betty's back. Betty bit her lip and her eyes felt raw before unshed tears. She pushed some hair from her face and swallowed, taking a shaky breath.

"Why are you calling me? How do you even have my number?" Betty asked coldly, tightening her grip on the phone and narrowing her eyes. The Penny person from Jughead's phone was on the other line.

"Hi, Ponytail. Lovely to hear from you again. I need your help." the voice answered and Betty swallowed hard.

"No. I'm not helping you." Betty's voice was cold and she was surprised at how strong it was. A trickle of pride echoed in her mind and she sat up a little straighter.

"Oh, you are." Penny's voice grew sinister and cruel. "Or else you get hurt. Remember the last time you tangled with the Ghoulies?"

The Ghoulies. Betty froze at those words, swallowing hard and closing her eyes. She knew them all to well. They were the ones who almost killed Jughead… the ones who put him in that coma.

"What exactly do you want?" Betty asked skeptically, she didn't want to. Still, did she really want to wage war with the Ghoulies? Who knew what they would do to him again. Maybe they would even succeed and maybe they wouldn't let him live.

"More than one thing really. First though, I need you to get something for me. Two things really. You're going to help the Ghoulies with something. Oh, and money would be nice as well." Penny started, her voice sly and cruel.

"Money? How much?" Betty's voice was barely a whisper now. All her former strength was gone. She felt lightheaded.

There was a pause on the other side of the line. "How about… two thousand? You can do that right, Ponytail?"

"Two… two thousand?" Betty felt lightheaded and shook her head. She still needed to replace the items in her home and they didn't just have thousands of dollars sitting around for The Ghoulies. When Penny hummed a 'yes' on the other side of the line, Betty bit her lip. "O-okay. Jughead can't be involved though… right?"

"I won't tell him or bring him into this. You have my word. As long as you don't tell him at least..." Penny purred and Betty rubbed her shoulder in worry.

"I won't tell him." Suddenly, her first order came to Betty's mind. "What is the 'something' I need to help with?" she wasn't going to deliver drugs. Never. Betty readjusted her sitting position and waited for an answer on the other side of the line.

"The Ghoulies are going to make a delivery. Sadly… the Serpents are going to be in the second to only place available to do the delivery… how terrible, right? Well, here's where you step in. You're going to help us make the delivery. Since it happens right behind your precious Register. So, you are going to simply, look the other way and let a few Ghoulies of ours into your building so they can exit through the other door. Great, right?"

"No. I'm not doing anything for you." Betty replied harshly and moved to hang up. No way she was ever going to do anything involved with drugs. Especially if it was not good for Jughead, helping a rival gang deliver drugs. No. Never.

"You'll regret this Ponyta-" Betty threw her phone across the room, screaming it rage. The phone clicked and the other line went dead. Her body quivered and she pulled her legs to her chest, sitting on her couch with horror covered eyes. Had she just waged war against the Ghoulies by not helping with the delivery? She would give them the money, but she couldn't help them with the other part.

Tears rolled down her cheeks in floods as she shook violently. Her body fell onto the couch and she sprawled out on the couch. The makeup she had applied at Veronica's coming out in streaks. When two loud knocks at the door echoed through the house, she ran to the kitchen. She gripped a knife in her hands from one of the drawers and narrowed her tearful eyes.

"I have a weapon!" she shouted but backed away as the doorknob twisted.

"Betty! Betts! It's okay, it's just me…" a familiar, soothing voice murmured and the door opened, Jughead appearing at the entrance. Betty let out a shaky breath and put the knife on the table, running to his arms.

"God, Juggy… You… you scared me!" Betty growled, trying to pass her terror for humor. Jughead didn't fall for it and pulled her closer towards his warm body, his arms curling around her.

"Betty…" he murmured and stroked her hair, leading her back to the couch. He set her shaking body on the couch and sat beside her, still hugging her. "Do not lie to me. Why the hell are you here Betty?" Jughead growled in concern and she shook her head in worry. Jughead narrowed his eyes and breathed out in anger. "God, Betty! Don't lie to me!" he snapped, cupping her cheeks to make him face her. Only then to he see her bandaged hands and he shook his head with frustration and rage.

Betty looked numbly up to him with tear filled eyes. "I'm sorry! I'm sorry! I'm sorry!" she sobbed and pulled away from him, standing up on shaky legs. "I'm sorry, Jug! Do you hear me? I'm so so… so sorry!" she covered her face with her hands backing up. Her breathing was fast and irregular.

Jughead immediately stood up and ran his hand through his hair, trying to control himself. "Betty…" she didn't stop backing away and repeating how sorry she was. "Betty. Betty!" he yelled as at all happened in slow motion.

Betty backed away and her foot slid on one of the trash bags she had pressed against the wall. Her teary eyes made it impossible to see, let alone catch herself and her hysterical state made it impossible to even try stop crying. She let out a scream, a horrified scream that was cut short as her head crashed into the wall and she fell limp to the floor.

"Betty! God, no… Betty!" the voice beside her yelled as Betty's eyes closed and her tears stopped. Her vision went black and her body went still.

* * *

 _Cliffhanger! Sorry guys!_

 _Question: If she heals soon, do you think Betty should go through with the whole deal? Or just the money or not the deal at all?_


	12. Chapter 12: Heartbeat

**Chapter Twelve : Heartbeat**

Jughead's head was spinning as he sat in the chair in Fred's new truck, his head in his hands. The car moved at an impeccable pace, every bump making Jughead more and more nauseous. He did this to her. He couldn't hear anything, just the repeated sound of Betty sobbing her apology.

Betty's body was in Jughead's lap and Archie was driving. It seemed as if whatever feud had gone on between Jughead and the redheaded teen seemed to disappear in a time of real need.

"Betty… hold on… we're getting you to a hospital… I promise… Betty please hold on." Jughead's voice cracked and he held his hand to the cut on her head to try and stop the bleeding. "No… Betty… don't leave me…" he sobbed and hugged her close to him.

"Jug…" The female murmured and Jughead closed his eyes in the clear pain in her voice. "Jug… im so surry." her voice was slurred as she repeated her words.

"No… no… Betty… don't apologize… don't talk, please…" Jughead comforted and stroked her hair with his free hand. She had been unconscious for 56 seconds. Timed by Jughead as he multi tasked. He had counted how long she was unconscious, called Archie and got her into Fred's truck.

He had read about concussions before, and the only way to keep himself from worrying about losing Betty was repeat every he learned about concussions over and over. Since she had fallen unconscious, it was at least a Grade three concussion. Since he had also counted how long she wasn't conscious, he knew it was under a minute, barely. Meaning her concussion was a Grade three out of four.

After a ten minute drive, Jughead was losing hope. Betty was bleeding from the head, she had a horrible concussion and she hadn't spoken in the past five minutes. She was wearing black jeans and a loose white blouse that was stained with blood. Archie had brought a spare shirt and Jughead had wrapped it around Betty's head just a few moments ago.

"Please Betty… I'm sorry…" Jughead murmured and cradled Betty in his arms.

"Jug. We're here. Get her out of the car. I'll help." Archie started quickly when the truck parked. The door swung open and Betty's door opened shortly after. Jughead unbuckled and the two teens picked her frail body up and rushed her inside.

A group of doctors arrived immediately after they saw Betty one of them picked Betty up, rushing her to a hospital stretcher and whisking her away in an instant.

Jughead stepped forward to hurry after her, but another doctor stopped him. "She's not ready for visitors yet. That is clear enough." the doctor snapped and frowned sympathetically. "I'm sorry… we will alert you the moment she is out of surgery."

Jughead ran his hand through his hair, his hand gripping his beanie frustratedly before he pulled it off and stress-fully turned and sat in one of the waiting chairs, Archie was up, on the phone with somebody. Jughead honestly didn't care. He was shaking, mouth dry and hands quivering. What if he lost Betty?

* * *

What the doctor said was a lie. They didn't notify him after surgery. It was three hours later and nobody had notified anyone. Veronica and Archie were sitting down on the couch, silent. Archie's arm was around Veronica and Veronica was looking numbly down at her shoes.

Archie looked horrified while Veronica just looked queasy, shameful and sick to her stomach. Jughead didn't know how he looked, but he didn't care. He only cared about how Betty looked at the moment. Dead? Hanging onto life?

"Oh god, where is she? Where's Betty?" a sharp voice snapped and Jughead looked up slowly. Alice Cooper. Three hours late. The mother's face fell in disgust when she saw Jughead. "Of course, you're here." Alice took a breath and narrowed her eyes. "What did you do to my Elizabeth?"

Jughead said nothing, because it was his fault. Very much his fault. He was the reason Betty was hurt. He was nothing but bad for her. He simply looked back down to his shaking hands and let out a quick, shaking breath. He couldn't speak though, he didn't think he was even mentally capable.

"Alice… breath. Jughead didn't do anything…" FP's voice. Jughead didn't bother to look up though. He knew the voice, he knew who was there, why take a look at his father's disappointed face.

A phone rang, and this time, Jughead looked up. Alice took one look at her phone before mumbling, 'Work' to FP and hurrying into the hallway. Jughead narrowed his eyes, did Alice really just replace her daughter's safety for a phone call? A phone call?

FP took a seat beside Jughead and narrowed his eyes disapprovingly. The teenager looked away, down at the floor. Thoughts squirmed in his head while worries ate away at his soul. "Boy, you tell me this. What happened? The truth." his father demanded and Jughead ducked his head.

"I went looking for her when she didn't show up at the trailer when she was supposed. I looked everywhere before finally finding her in her house. Her hands were bandaged up and I…" he broke off, not wanting to continue. Jughead's grip tightened on his hat in his hands. Why was he so harsh to her?

"What did you do, boy?"

"I yelled at her… I kept repeating that she was lying to me… I should have known she was already hysterical at… something…" Jughead paused, taking a shaky breath before continuing. "Then she stood up and kept apologizing, backing up farther and farther before she slipped on a stupid bag of trash and hit her head against the wall." he finished and his body shook.

FP expressions hardened and he slicked back his hair with pursed lips. He took a deep breath, looking at the door where Betty had disappeared to. He said nothing though, placing a hand on his son's shoulder and sighing in frustration.

One of the doctors appeared from the door and walked over in quick strides. "You're the boy who was here at the start. Do you know where her mother is, or her father?" the doctor asked, voice sweet with sympathy. Jughead said nothing, simple gesturing toward Alice Cooper who was still on the phone.

"Mother's busy. Father's not here. My son here would like to see her though." FP spoke calmly from beside Jughead and the doctor frowned at Betty's parents not coming but nodded. "Sure. Come along…"

"Jughead." the teen answered and the doctor made a face before nodding and leading Jughead through the doors. The walked seem to last forever before she stopped at one of the doors.

"She's in there." the doctor started and Jughead pushed open the door to see Betty's weak, frail body on a bed. Her head was wrapped up and her chart was stable. Her eyes were open and she looked up in surprise at Jughead's presence. A look of relief passed through her before it darkened and she looked away.

"Betty…" Jughead started, voice breaking and he saw her. His heart felt like it broke when she looked away from him. Once he came closer to her, she saw that her body was quivering and she was in pain, which made his heart shatter. "Are you okay?" he asked, voice strained.

He looked at her hopefully when Betty turned to face him again. Then his heart lurched when he saw she wasn't happy. "No, Jughead, I'm not okay. I know you were going to break up with me… I'm a mess. I understand. I'm crazy… there are so many better options out the-" Betty was caught off when Jughead spoke up.

"I wasn't going to break up with you. I'm never going to break up with you. Betty, I love you!" Betty's eyes flickered with a flame of hope and she smiled, a faint smile, but it was there.

"Well… good. That just happens to work out because I love you too." her arms stretched out even though her arms seemed boneless. "Kiss me?" she smiled softly and Jughead smiled softly. Coming closer to her, he pressed his lips to hers and time seemed to stop. There was no Penny, no break ins, no Black Hoods, no threats, just two young lovers.

Finally, Jughead pulled away and looked to her. "Now, how are you feeling?" he asked and kissed her forward. He was about to lean back before Betty grabbed his hand.

"Don't go to far, I want to see you." Betty murmured, causing confusion to ripple in Jughead. He stayed close to her and gave her a questioning look. "My head… god, Jug it's hurts so bad…" The blond half closed her eyes and sobbed quietly before Jughead cupped her face gently in his hands and wiped away her tears.

"I know it does Betts… I'm so sorry I did this to you…" Betty didn't have time to reply, for Alice threw open the doors and Jughead stepped out of the way, letting Alice reach Betty.

To Jughead's complete and utter surprise, Alice's hand slapped against her daughter's cheek. "What were you thinking, Betty? They told you not to go to that house! And you just had!" her hand reached out and she cupped Betty's face with one hand like Jughead had, but not gently. Alice's nails dug into Betty's cheek and she tried to squirm away.

Jughead couldn't take it and he grabbed Alice's arm, pulling her away from Betty. Alice's nails scraped against Betty's cheek before she slapped Jughead across the face as well. "Get the hell away from my daughter! Look what you did to her! You put her in this… place!" Alice snarled and Jughead felt his stomach turn. Betty's mother abused Betty?

"Look what you've done to her." Jughead snapped back, ignoring the pain on his cheek. Alice turned to look at her daughter and Alice flinched. Betty's cheek was bright red and marks of her mother's nails raked across her face.

"Don't turn this around on me, Jones. My daughter wants me here and I will be here for her." Alice defended herself, glaring at Jughead with the eyes of a true viper. Still, he didn't flinch under the stare, simply narrowed them and shook in rage.

"Actually, I don't." Both Jughead and Alice whipped around to see Betty watching them with an angry looking, pain twisted face. Betty was sitting up, even though she looked unsteady doing just that.

"Elizabeth, darling. You don't know what you're speak o-" Alice started desperately before Betty interrupted.

"I know exactly what I'm speaking of. Now get the out right the h-" Betty let out a low whimper and her charts went viral and Jughead rushed over to his girlfriend. He hugged her close to his body, she went limp in his arms, eyes exhausted suddenly.

"Alice Cooper… I'm sorry but I'm going to have to ask you to leave…" a voice started from the entrance of the room. Alice and Jughead turned to see a doctor standing at the door. "Her charts have increased since the moment you have walked in the door. Please. Leave."

Alice let out a frustrated growl before turning on her heel and stomping out of the room. The doctor hung at the door and only then did Jughead look at her face. She was young, with pink strips in her hair and a smirk on her face.

"Toni?" Jughead gawked and the female gave a wink. "Not just me." the female replied and Cheryl stepped out from behind her. Jughead grinned and waved for them to join him. Toni slipped out of the doctor's outfit, revealing her leather jacket under the white coat.

"Oh goodness, Cousin Dearest you do not look good." Cheryl tusked and hurried over. She put an arm on Betty's shoulder while Jughead gently set her back on the bed. Betty managed to give Toni a grateful smile before her eyes closed and she fell asleep almost immediately.

Jughead tucked Betty's hair behind her ear and looked over to Toni. "Thanks." he murmured and Toni nodded seriously. Cheryl placed her hand on the nail marks on Betty's face and narrowed her eyes.

"No problem. You guys looked like you were going to be murdered by Alice." Toni laughed before following her girlfriend's gaze to the marks on Betty's face. "Wow. Alice?" she questioned and Jughead nodded.

Cheryl put her arm around Toni, as if seeking comfort in her girlfriend at the sight of Betty like this. Toni kissed Cheryl on the forehead. Feeling his pockets buzz, Jughead picked up the phone and narrowed his eyes.

 **Penny**

He answered immediately and took a breath. "What?"

"I need you to do something else for me, Jonesy."

* * *

 _Yay! Betty's okay! Well- kind of at least. How about... Yay! Betty's alive! Yeah, that's better._


	13. Chapter 13: Refusal

**Chapter Thirteen : Refusal**

Jughead stole at a glance at the three young women in the room with him; Cheryl and Toni were leaning against the hospital bed, arms wrapped around each other while they looked down at a sleeping Betty. Quietly, he slipped out of the room. He planned to only be a moment, and they wouldn't miss him. He let the door close quietly before he finally answered Penny.

"I'm done Penny," Jughead stated coldly. His blue gaze flitted over to the hospital room and his heart ached all over again.

Betty had gotten hurt because he was too busy with his own problems to see something was going on with her. By following Penny's commands, he wasn't protecting her.

"What?" Penny growled over the phone. He heard her draw in a sharp breath before speaking again. "You can't leave, Jones." She spoke through what sounded like gritted teeth.

Jughead felt a prickle of satisfaction at her tense words. "That's just what I'm doing," he replied. "I also advise you to stay away from Betty, and the Serpents. Remember this: the Serpents bite back." With that, he pulled the phone away from his ear and ended the call. It felt like, for a moment, he was finally free from Penny.

He shoved his phone back into his jeans and brushed his black curls from his eyes. Only then did he notice the dried blood that clung to his hands. A shiver passed through him; he needed to wash his hands.

Betty was fine. Alive. Safe.

After drilling the words of Betty's safety into his head, Jughead took a breath and turned to head to the bathroom. Betty was safe in Toni and Cheryl's care for the moment, he could take a break to wash his hands.

* * *

Betty awoke later, head pounding with a cruel, pulsing sensation. She raised her hands to her head and placed the back of her hand on her forehead. She was burning up, but her hand felt so cool, she didn't want to open her eyes and face the bright, hospital lights.

"Betts?"

Her eyes flicked open immediately at those words. For that voice, she would wake up a thousand times over and fight against death so she could see his face. Jughead's face. Once the blinding light passed and dulled into a dim background, her gaze settled on him. His hair was tucked into his beanie and bags hung under his eyes.

"Hey, Romeo. What time is it?" Betty asked, trying to pull herself into a sitting position but failing in the end, so she decided to stay laying down. Her head hurt; it felt like it had been bashed with a bat over and over.

"Almost five," he answered quickly, as if he had been watching the time ever since she had fallen asleep. Jughead was sitting on one of the chairs in the room, hands clasped together and sitting in his lap. He looked at her with sheer guilt. How long had she been asleep?

"I've probably been asleep for a couple hours, then?" Betty absentmindedly rubbed one palm against the other, noticing the new gauze that was wrapped around her hands. The thought of her skin covered in cuts sent a chill down her spine. Betty shook the thought away as she gave Jughead a smile and patted the space beside her so he would come over.

"You've been sleeping for three hours," he answered and stood up. A small smile flashed across his face as he sat on the bed. "You woke up three hours ago and your mom came in. Do you remember that?" Jughead asked softly and brushed her hair from her face.

Betty bit her lip softly; her head felt like it was splintering. After a short pause, she nodded softly. "Yeah… vaguely, but yes, I remember." It was true, she remembered waking up, she remembered her mother's presence in the room, Jughead's too, but that was all she seemed to remember.

Betty was silent for a moment before she shakily wrapped her arms around her boyfriend. Despite how much she thought she knew and didn't know, she was sure that she loved Jughead.

"Betts?" Jughead's voice was quiet, silent almost. Betty looked up, and blinking in curiosity. "Can you tell me about… this?" He unwrapped her arms from around him and turned them gently so her bandaged palms were facing them.

Tiny scratches and wounds on her skin. That's what he was talking about. The glass wounds. Suddenly, she felt guilty and sucked in a breath. She gently pulled her hands away, staring down at them herself. It wasn't as serious as he was thinking; she hadn't been hurting herself, other than her palms.

"It's not what you think… I was picking up glass, I wasn't wearing gloves. It was almost like I was resistant to the pain until the job was over and I could think. Then it hurt. Trust me though, it doesn't hurt now..." Betty murmured as she looked toward the wall, unable to meet Jughead's gaze. He seemed satisfied for a moment before he sighed.

Betty felt him take her hands into his once more and it was her turn to sigh. She twisted in surprise to face him when he turned her hands over. "These aren't from glass though," Jughead whispered, his voice frustrated and stressed out. He placed his fingers gently over where a few of the really deep crescent nail marks were on her palm. "The nurse asked me about the marks when she was changing the bandages."

"No. They aren't from glass," Betty admitted. No more lies. She had to tell him what happened. Everything. Well, almost everything. Not about Penny. Never about Penny. Nobody could know about Penny. That was her battle alone. "I made them. You want to know the truth? Fine." She painfully pulled herself into a sitting position. Her head pulsed with pain as she thought back to the attack and what happened after.

Jughead gave a slight nod when she asked if he wanted the truth. When she sat up, he saw the pain in her eyes and gently edged closer to her, placing his hand in hers.

"Alright. Please though Jughead, remember the promise you made me the day I went back to school," she murmured. She was speaking about the promise of not fighting with Reggie. He seemed to stiffen at that. "The break in. When he was… holding me gunpoint… with my gun, I managed to push him away and remove his hood." Betty closed her eyes, trying to push away the terror that was evoked by the memory. "It was Reggie, Jughead."

The young man next to her tensed up, removing his hand from hers and causing her to face him. "Reggie?" His demeanour was taken over by pure rage as his eyes burrowed into hers. It made her head spin with pain.

"Yes. Reggie. My story isn't done though. No more lies, right?" Betty added quickly, so Jughead forced himself to calm down. After hearing a quiet, "Right," she continued her story. "I stole your phone, I read a text message from one of your friends. I called them… I know it wasn't any of my business, but I didn't want you to wake up…"

At her sudden nervousness, Jughead hugged her close to him. "It's all right. I don't care. I'm not mad." He sighed and she nodded sadly.

She didn't believe him, he probably was mad. What if he knew the girl was Penny? An apparent Ghoulie? Jughead's hands cupped her cheeks softly and he gently moved her to face him. He glanced at her lips and she smiled, giving him a nod. Leaning forward, Jughead kissed her.

Once again, Betty felt her heart flutter. For a moment, while the kiss lasted, her head didn't hurt. It felt like it was just them. Breathtaking. Incredible what a simple kiss could prove. After what felt like only a few seconds, he pulled away and smiled. Betty smiled back and hugged him.

"I love you, Juggie," she whispered and looked into his eyes, his perfect pools of blue.

"I love you too, Betts," Jughead replied and kissed her forehead. "I'll always be here. Don't ever feel the need to lie to me. I love you and I'll never stop. Besides, I can handle it." He smirked and she rolled her eyes, settling back into his arms.

* * *

A week and a half later, Betty was released from the hospital. She had been recovering for a week and was in rehab for two days. She had passed most of the tests quickly, proving to be healthy.

Jughead had come to visit everyday for the longest time out of everybody. He hadn't been going to school. As much as Betty scolded him, he wouldn't go back, worried of what he might do if and when he ever saw Reggie's face.

Archie came with Veronica most of the time, but came alone a few times as well. It was awkward at first, with Betty being sour and Archie being quiet. After the first few visits, their friendship was on its way to mending. Veronica came second to most, always with some sort of gift or treat. She was very thoughtful in Betty's opinion, but most of the time Betty just wanted to rest or talk quietly, which was not one of Veronica's strong suits. The worst was her mother's visits. They were all scolding or fake sympathy when the doctors came around to check up on her. Alice's visits were short and once they were over, a relief.

A good thing that seemed to come out of the whole thing was Polly visiting. One visit, but a great visit. It was a few days ago, when Betty was well enough to even hold Dagwood for a few moments. Polly apologized over and over for not being there, but in the end, she left again.

Betty remembered this all with a wistful sigh. She was in her everyday clothes, and she examined her outfit before taking in a sharp breath. She knew her friends were waiting in the waiting room. She hadn't seen Jughead all day, which wasn't exactly bad considering it was only eleven.

It was time to go and face the music. Talk with everyone, catch up on schoolwork and earn Penny's money. She doubted the woman would like it if she stalled the payment any longer. Swallowing, she pushed open the hospital doors.

* * *

 _Sorry for the wait guys! In the time since I've last posted a chapter, I have found an amazing beta reader! Big thanks to Leahloahla! So, even though the wait time for each chapter will be longer, the quality is a lot better! Hope you are enjoying my book!_


	14. Chapter 14: Liar

**Chapter Fourteen : Liars**

Facing the music was a lot harder than Betty thought it would be. There was more schoolwork in Betty's room in the following few days than she thought was acceptable. Headaches were common and gruelling, and sometimes her thoughts would get so jumbled that she could hardly remember to breathe. It didn't help that she was back in her own house, living with her mother.

Visits were a whole different level, a much harder level. Every time somebody came over it was the same as the last time they visited. They talked about school, asked how she was doing, and looked at her like she was broken before they finally left. Routine was nice of course, but not like this.

But Jughead's visits weren't like the others. There he was at Betty's window, every day, even though he knew he could walk through the front door. He came with a ladder and pulled himself through the window every time. It wasn't like Betty was complaining; he was handsome and seeing him out her window was a perfect way to get a smile to flash across her face. He didn't offer fake sympathy or try to cheer her up. Instead, he simply held her close and helped her with everything.

Currently, Betty was sitting at her dresser, staring at her schoolwork on the white surface. The numbers swirled in her head, not making any sense. Closing her eyes tightly, she sat back and sucked in a breath before sighing. Two hours; that's how long she had been working on schoolwork.

As much as the assignments themselves were stressful, it was more so the thought of giving Penny the money. Betty had collected the two thousand already, selling her stuff online and sneaking twenty bucks from her mother's wallet a few times. All the money was in her Christmas gift from Jughead, tucked away in the pages of the lovely book that was nestled in her dresser drawer.

Penny had called her earlier that morning shortly after she had awoken. Betty was supposed to meet the Snake Charmer herself in a booth at Pop's and hand her the money at five, today. In person. The thought send chills down her spine and she scratched her neck absentmindedly as the guilt she felt made its way back to the front of her mind. She was hiding so much from Jughead.

Her headache pulsed as she shakily stood from her chair and looked around. Everything looked so blurry, her vision seemed to be pulsing. Her legs gave out and she fell to the floor. Betty hardly felt her knees crashing against the ground as she held her head in her hands. Betty's forehead was burning with fever and the pain in the back of her head was pounding. Betty closed her eyes as she tried to forget the pain, forget the guilt, forget everything.

A few minutes past before Betty allowed herself to open her eyes and get to her feet. She took a shaky breath and dragged herself over to her bed. She sat down with a shaky breath and massaged her temple. After a few more minutes, the worst of the headache passed and she fell back into her soft bed, her fair falling over her face because she wasn't wearing it in a ponytail.

A knock on the window made Betty fling herself off her bed and glance over at her window. A certain black haired young man was leaning against the window. A beanie rested gently on his head and a smile was plastered across his perfect features.

"Juggie." Betty grinned and forced the last bit of her headache as far back as possible. She unlocked her window and pulled it open.

Jughead ducked into the room and gently kissed Betty on the lips. She smiled when he pulled away and helped him inside the room completely. Then she heaved the window shut and locked it.

Betty then turned to see Jughead standing by her desk, examining the papers on the dresser. "How long have you been working on these?" Jughead murmured and turned to face the young woman.

"Not too long," she lied easily, voice smooth.

Jughead didn't look convinced but moved over to Betty, putting an arm around her. "Betts, working this hard isn't healthy," he said.

"I took a break earlier," she told him as she placed her hand on his hip.

Betty smiled softly and the two walked over to the bed and sat down. They sat in silence, arms around each other as Betty leaned into the young man's chest. His perfect black locks falling gently from his crown beanie.

"Is Alice home?"

The question went unanswered when Betty heard her phone buzz. She let out a surprised yelp and concern flickered across Jughead's face. Gently moving herself from her boyfriend's comforting arms, she tried her best to push away her fears. What time was it?

"Betts?" Jughead's concerned voice resounded from where he sat.

Betty ignored him again, swallowing hard and snatching her phone from the window seat. It was three. She had two hours to get to Pop's. She had time, not a lot of time, but time. Finally, she managed to draw her gaze to the message. A single message from an unknown number was all that was there.

 **Unknown Number: Time is ticking.**

Tears pricked at the corner of her eyes. Could she ever escape being the plaything of murderers? She quickly deleted the message and brushed away her tears with her hands. Betty heard the bed shift as Jughead stood up and she placed the phone on the seat again. With one deep breath she pushed away her tears and her sadness, just like she had done over and over before.

"Who was it?" Jughead asked when Betty turned around to face him.

Her heart sank when she she the concern in his face. "The Sheriff. He wanted to tell me that my father keeps asking for me." Betty's lip tightened in a straight line and the tears threatened to escape once again at all her lies. Jughead seemed to take her teary eyes as a sign that she was still suffering from her father's haunting memory and he wrapped her in a hug.

Betty carefully slid from his hug, and in one swift movement, brushed away her tears. "I'm fine, Juggie," she stated softly as she looked into his perfect blue eyes.

The young man took a breath and began to speak with soft words. "It's okay to still hurt, you know that, right? I'm always-"

"You're always there for me. I know. Thank you, Juggie," the blonde Serpent whispered and before he could open his mouth to protest, she placed her lips to his. Electricity sparked in Betty's heart as Jughead cupped her cheeks, deepening the kiss. Betty felt frozen once again, frozen in time that only included Jughead and her.

Forcing herself to pull away after a moment, Betty let out a sigh of affection and looked into Jughead's trusting blue eyes. His lips pressed against her forehead and she couldn't suppress a smile. Could she have ever ended up with a better life companion?

They stood there for a moment, adoration and concern filling the Serpent's blue gaze. Betty planted a quick kiss on his lips once again, trying to push away his final doubts that she was okay. Jughead was smart, one slip and she was exposed, putting Jughead in danger. When she did pull away, Jughead's eyes were cleared from all worry.

"I love you, Betty Cooper."

"I love you, Jughead Jones," Betty answered and walked to her bed, laying down with a sigh. Her boyfriend followed, laying beside her and smiling when she snuggled into him. After a moment, she looked to Jughead and a smile tugged at her lips. "Jug?"

He looked down to her and narrowed his eyes slightly. "Yeah?" His voice was laced with a tense worry. When he saw her smile, he relaxed and let out a sigh of relief.

"Wake me up in an hour? Kay? Or before you leave." Her voice was pleading and her eyes were soft and hopeful. When he gave a nod and a hum that she was positive meant 'sure', she settled into his warm body and closed her eyes. Betty's breathing almost immediately slowed as she drifted into the deepest slumber she had in weeks.

* * *

Jughead eyes opened a short time later. Betty's arm was draped across him and his around her. His gaze softened, a look he had only ever given her. She was sleeping so peaceful, he almost stopped himself from thinking about the Serpents and Reggie and everything else. Almost.

He thought he was acting well, in his opinion, so it was possible he had fooled Betty. Jughead knew he was no Betty, graced with the skills of acting and singing. The last time he had ever sung was when he was ten and Jellybean was four. He was singing in his room with his headphones on, trying to block out his parents arguing. It hadn't worked and a drunk FP had stumbled into the room, swearing and yelling at Jughead before his mother stormed in and dragged FP out of the room again.

Jughead pushed the memory away, a sickening feeling of loss at the thought of Jellybean made his heart sink; she used to yell at FP whenever he got too close to their mother or Jughead when he was drunk. The memories hurt more than it hurt to hear his parents arguing.

"Jug?" Betty murmured and he looked down, suddenly realizing he was tensed up and his eyes were narrowed. Betty eyes were halfway open, proving she was only half asleep. He forced himself to loosen up and sighed softly. He gave her a gentle hug and leveled out his breathing.

After a few moments, his plan worked and Betty drifted back to sleep once again, breathing soft and even. Since he had relaxed himself though, his own need for slumber tugged at his limbs. Jughead's eyes blinked slowly and he rested his head on Betty's soft pillows, letting himself slip into a slumber.

* * *

When Jughead woke up Betty, she shot up with her eyes wide. Panic bloomed in her heart and she swallowed hard. Sweat dripped at her forehead and her thoughts ran wild. "What time is it?" she blurted before realizing that was Jughead looking at her with concern. He must be tired of looking at her like that.

"Almost four thirty. You didn't sleep too long," Jughead replied softly. His hands drifted over to hers, as if on instinct to pull her nails away from her palm.

Jughead needn't worry. Betty was far to worried about getting to Pop's on time than to convince herself she was in control. She knew she wasn't. Besides, why worry Jughead more? "Okay. I need to go," she murmured and he nodded softly, getting off the bed and helping her up.

"Where you off to?" Jughead asked, choosing his words carefully.

"The prison. I need to see my dad," Betty replied smoothly and he nodded, seeming satisfied but worried for her mental health. "And yes—I'm sure I'll be fine. It'll just be a quick visit. I'll see you later, kay?" Worry jabbed into her lungs, making it hard to control her breathing.

"I could come with you…"

"No!" Betty blurted before opening her drawer and sighing. "I mean—no. I need to speak to him alone. You understand, right?" her voice was sly, as if daring him to call her weak. She picked up the book with the money and pressed it close to her chest. "I'll bring this," she reasoned, trying to make it seem like she would bring it to make him feel better.

Jughead moved across the room in a few strides and gave her a gentle hug. "Aright. I love you…" he offered and she smiled back at him.

"Great. See you." She gave him a quick kiss before hurrying out of her room and pulling the door shut behind her. Betty needed to get to the diner, quick. It was time to face the Snake Charmer once and for all. If only Jughead wasn't watching through the window. If only he didn't know where the prison was located. If only he didn't know she was going in the wrong direction.

But he did know.

* * *

 _A/N : Thanks so much if you're reading my book. It means a lot! Things are about to get really intense, really quickly so watch for my next chapter!_


	15. Chapter 15: Wrong Way

**Chapter Fifteen: Wrong Way**

Jughead was gathering up his stuff when he glanced at the window to make sure Betty made it safely outside. He narrowed his eyes in confusion when she turned left and began walking in a hurried pace. _Wrong way, Betts,_ Jughead thought and slipped on his Serpent jacket.

Betty glanced back at her house before pulling her phone out of her pocket and staring at it for a moment. Then the young woman tapped on her screen and shoved the phone back in her jacket. Her serpent jacket.

Jughead tilted his head slightly to the side. When did she grab her jacket? Why was she wearing it to go see her father? Did she want him to know she was a Serpent now? He didn't want to admit it to himself, but he had no choice.

Betty knew she was going the wrong way.

Betty was lying to him.

His mouth went dry and he fixed his beanie so it was on better and wouldn't fall off. So many thoughts swamped his mind and he fell onto her bed with a huff of surprise. Where was she going? Why was she lying to him?

"Elizabeth Cooper, what are you doing?" he murmured in confusion.

He wasn't exactly mad, but why didn't she tell him where she was going? He wanted to be able to help her, why was she not letting him?

Pulling himself together, Jughead swallowed his sadness and tried pushing it to the back of his mind. Did she not trust him? A cold feeling spread across his chest as he tried to push away his worries. Quickly, he opened her window and started climbing down the ladder. He needed to see what she was getting herself into. Or had gotten herself into.

* * *

Betty pushed open Pop's doors and gave Pop a smile to try and convince him she was being normal. Everyone needed to think everything was okay. "Hey, Pop," she greeted him as she looked around. She searched the booths before her gaze settled on the correct person. There he was. The Ghoulie Penny had sent to collect the cash. She gripped the book in her hands tighter, knuckles turning white. Penny had texted her on her way to Pop's, telling her that Penny herself couldn't make it so she sent one of her Ghoulies instead. This person fit the description perfectly.

The Ghoulie had short blond hair and a lean build. He almost looked like Chic. Betty felt a shiver run through her at the thought of her brother's imposter and she barely managed to push herself forward. Quickly, she slid herself into the opposite side of the booth, that way she could look the Ghoulie straight in the eyes.

The Ghoulie's face curved into a crooked smile, and Betty grimaced in disgust at the look in his eyes.

"Heya, pretty blondie," the man sneered.

The Serpent Queen narrowed her eyes, trying to push her nerves to the back of her mind. Betty felt much stronger, more powerful in her Serpent jacket, but still felt sick when the Ghoulie reached forward and attempted to stroke her hand. When his hand brushed against hers she snapped and dug her nails into the back of his hand until he pulled away. The Ghoulie's expression twisted in pain and for a moment Betty was worried she had just ruined everything. He looked her in the eye and Betty immediately reached for the knife in her pocket.

"I like 'em feisty," the Ghoulie purred before leaning into the booth. "You got the cash?"

"Yes," Betty replied and opened the book, pulling out the cash and pushing it over to the Ghoulie. She moved her hand away quickly before he could violate her personal space again.

Picking up the cash, the Ghoulie scanned through all the money with a grin before stashing it all in his jacket. "Do you mind if I ask—where did ya get all this? Hmm?" the revolting Ghoulie asked.

"I do mind," she said.

The Ghoulie chuckled and looked at Betty before glancing out the window. The Ghoulie tsked before saying "Don't get like that; the Snake Charmer won't like it…" His voice trailed off as the sly look on his face was replaced with one of horror. His hand went to his pocket, reaching for his knife. "You just made a horrible mistake!" he snapped as he tumbled from his seat, looking mortified.

Betty narrowed her eyes in confusion and looked up. She suddenly felt light-headed at the sight of the person standing inside Pop's, glaring at her and the Ghoulie. The face that always brought a smile to her face sent shivers down her spine.

Jughead.

He stalked over to the pair, and when the Ghoulie tried to hurry away, Jughead snatched his jacket in a fist. He pulled the Ghoulie close to his face and Betty saw his other hand curl into a ball. This was bad.

"Juggie! Stop!" she snapped, trying but failing to keep her voice strong. She started getting out of the booth to stop him but one look from the Serpent sent her falling back into the seat.

The Ghoulie in Jughead's grip squirmed, and Betty assumed he was trying to pull the knife from his pocket. She felt herself flinch as Jughead gave the Ghoulie a fierce shake. Betty felt the pit in her stomach tighten and her nails went to her palms on instinct.

"Jughead! Let him go!" she pleaded quietly.

Jughead's face turned to her and she felt her heart sink. Betrayal and rage replaced his usual demeanor. After one horrible moment, Jughead let go of the Ghoulie and the man took to the floor running. The Ghoulie was outside in less than an instant, hopping on a motorcycle and speeding away.

"Betty, who was that?" The hurt in Jughead's voice made her dig her nails deeper into her healing hands. He took a seat where the Ghoulie had sat moments ago, clenching and unclenching his fists in hopes of calming himself.

"I—I can't tell you." Betty swallowed, voice shaking with guilt. What did he think? She wanted to tell him everything, she truly did, but she couldn't. It would put Jughead in danger.

"Do you not trust me?" Jughead whispered, voice pained.

"No! I do trust you! Juggie… I'm sorry, but I can't tell you!" Betty blurted, nails digging into her palms even deeper. "He isn't important."

"Yeah, because people hide stuff from others when the person isn't important," Jughead scoffed, his cold sarcasm piercing her heart. Betty opened her mouth to counter his words but he kept talking. "You know what, Betty? If we are back to lying to each and keeping secrets, then I'm done."

Betty felt herself go dizzy at those words and she shook her head numbly. "Juggie-"

"-no, Betty. I can't be with you if you can't tell me the truth," he said, looking her in the eye. His expression was cold, but the emotions swirling around him were easily recognized by Betty in the stiffness of his stance, in his clenched jaw. This was breaking his heart just as much as it was breaking hers.

"Please…" Her words felt hollow and weak. He was really leaving her. She tried to convince herself this was all a dream as she desperately sank her nails deeper in her palm. She would've cried, if there were any tears left to cry. With everything that had happened, all the tears she had shed, she couldn't cry anymore. When Jughead shook his head in response, she was utterly heartbroken. She was also angry. Angry at Penny for putting her in this situation, and angry at herself for letting this happen.

"Fine," Betty whispered; she shakily stood up.

Betty's nails broke the skin on her palm but she didn't notice; blood was the least of her worries now. Jughead's face twisted with guilt at the sight of the blood and he opened his mouth to say something but Betty silenced him with one look. Betty never thought the day would come that Jughead looked at her with such disappointment. In a few quick strides, she hurried away, pushing open the diner doors and taking off.

Blood pounded in her ears, making her dizzy with exhaustion. Jughead's words repeated over and over in her mind as she tried to forget about everything in her life. She took long strides, trying to put as much distance between herself and Jughead as possible. What point was there in ever going back to Riverdale? Everything she had ever loved went horribly wrong. Her mother was blind when it came to the farm, her father was a murderer, Jughead was gone, Ghoulie's threatened to harm her daily. What point was there in living? Jughead was her only light left, and now he was gone too.

She ran for what felt like forever before her foot slammed against a rock and she came crashing to the ground. Betty felt her jaw hit the cold earth and her body thudded against rocks and the unwelcoming dirt. Blood stained her arms and wrists from her closed fists but she couldn't feel anything.

The young woman stayed there, not willing to move. She suddenly felt horrible; Veronica and Archie were still in Riverdale. Betty was leaving them without saying goodbye. Another wave of sadness hit her as she lay there; she couldn't take it anymore! Giving up, she let her eyes slip shut and she fell into a deep sleep.

Betty was awoken by somebody yanking her off the ground by her hair. Betty yowled in pain, her eyes stretching wide in surprise. She tried to slither away from the strong arms that held her. Betty kicked the empty air and let out a scream. She was quickly silenced when the person holding her knocked something against her head, hard. Betty's eyes closed as she slipped into a deep state of unconscious.

* * *

The memory of Betty racing away crossed Jughead's mind again. The blood dripping down her arms felt like daggers repeatedly stabbing him in the heart. Jughead pushed open his trailer door, walking in and slamming the door shut in rage.

He didn't know what to think. Betty was at Pop's diner with a Ghoulie who was getting all too friendly with her, reaching out to stroke her hand, smirking and laughing cruelly. It was sick.

Jughead cringed as the memory flashed across his mind as he fell to the couch. He swallowed hard and put his head in his hands, trying to reason with his emotions.

Confusion. Rage. Heartbreak. Sadness.

His phone rang, but it sounded so distant to everything. Still, he reached out and answered it numbly. He waited for whoever it was to say something. When the person on the other line did speak, Jughead's heart sank all over again.

"Jones," Penny Peabody purred. A horrible feeling of dread crawled around his shoulders like spiders. His hand brushed against his neck, making sure there weren't anything there. Just to be sure.

"What?" came his tired reply. He didn't know what to do. What could she possibly do to make things worse? Jughead gripped the phone so tight in his hand that his knuckles grew white.

"Somebody broke a rule. Now somebody is paying. Say hi, Ponytail," Penny spoke said and Jughead went numb.

Penny had Betty.

Things had gotten worse. Much worse.


	16. Chapter 16: Bruised

**Chapter Sixteen : Bruised**

Betty awoke in a dizzy state, her eyes narrowed in confusion as she took in her surroundings. Dark gray was the only color that she could focus on. Where was she? Betty's limbs felt weak as she tried to sit up. Her attempt was cut short as her head hit the ceiling causing her to fall back to the floor.

Wherever she was it stunk of alcohol and cigarettes. Her arms were behind her but when she tried to pull at them she let out a struggled gasp of surprise. Ropes bound her wrists together, scraping against her bare skin painfully. She didn't even bother trying to move her feet.

She was still for a moment, trying to think about what to do. Rolling to the side, she tried to see if her phone was in her pocket, but it wasn't. Whoever did this to her must have taken her phone. Betty let out a shaky breath, trying to control her rising panic.

Something cold dripped down her cheek and landed on the floor of wherever she was. Betty immediately looked down at what fell and her eyes widened when she saw blood. She was wounded. As if on cue, her headache and a new burst of pain in her head sprung with a snap and she screamed. Only then did she notice the gag in her mouth.

After a moment, Betty could hardly tell if she was still screaming or not. Her vision blurred and her body gave up, going limp. Deciding there was no point in doing anything right now, Betty allowed her eyes to slip shut and she breathed raggedly through the gag.

* * *

The next time Betty found herself conscious she had felt a burning sensation in her face and hissed in pain. Her eyes flashed open right as what she was sure was a fist collided with her jaw. She let out a huff as the pain registered in her mind. She tasted salty blood in her mouth and without thinking, spit at whoever had punched her.

Bad idea.

The person who punched her growled in rage and a baton came down on her shoulder with a sickening crunch. Betty yowled in pain as the figure grabbed her face in their hands to get her to look at them. Their rough fingers squeezed her face, causing her to squirm in pain. She focused her gaze on the person, her eyes narrowed at the shape. It was a male, young adult, with black hair and black smears around his eyes. Was that intentional or was he just filthy?

"Malachai. Back up. Time to make a call," a familiar voice called from a short distance away. Any hope shrivelled away when she remembered the person who had spoken. It was Penny. Her fists clenched.

The man, Malachai, let go and she let out a shaky breath as she forced herself to look at where the voice came from. A woman wearing a black jacket stepped out of the dark shadows and grinned widely and approached Betty in a few quick strides.

"Wowza. You don't look too great." Penny chuckled and examined Betty's most likely bloody face.

Betty, still in shock from the hit to the shoulder, said nothing as she stared Penny in the eyes. She tried to focus on the woman's face but the only thing she could make out was that Penny was tall, with bright blue eyes.

A new pang of hurt shot through Betty and she let her gaze waver as she was reminded of another pair of blue eyes: Jughead's. Maybe he knew where she was. Maybe he was trying to find her right now. Then she remembered the breakup and closed her eyes tightly to suppress tears.

A hard slap to the cheek quickly brought her back to reality and Betty swallowed in pain. A cut scraped across her face as Penny's ring sliced across her skin.

"Ah, you just keep making this better and better. Wait 'till I call your… boyfriend?" Penny clucked and rage shot through Betty's veins. How dare Penny mention Jughead right now? How dare she make him worry over her. She had already caused him enough pain.

Betty did a quick scan of how she was doing. Her shoulder flared with pain, and her jaw ached. Her hands were tied and placed in her lap, her ankles were tied against the chair she was on and Penny stood in front of Betty, leaning in so their faces were merely inches apart.

Pulling on the ropes on her hands, she managed to slip a hand free, scratching her wrist on the ropes in the process. Betty then swung her hand at Penny, her sharp, bloody nails cut across Penny's face easily and she felt a sliver of satisfaction. Penny let out a startled hiss and backed away, cursing to herself in pain.

When Malachai came over with the bat again, fear replaced the satisfaction within milliseconds and she quickly attempted slipping a foot from the ropes. Fortunately, she managed to pull her feet from the ropes, unfortunately, the tight ropes burned as the scraped across her skin. When Malachai came into range, Betty dropped down and swung her foot towards him, kicking his feet out from under him. She watched as he fell to the floor with a grunt.

Now free for a heartbeat, Betty jumped up and raced forward. Her feet and legs burned with immediate pain but she ignored it, focusing instead on her ragged breathing. There was only one door and it was on the opposite side of the room. Betty's heartbeat sped up as she took off, running as quickly as possible to the door.

Before she got too close to the door, a Ghoulie from who knows where flung a bat into Betty's stomach and she fell to the floor like a brick. The Serpent gasped for air, forgetting for a moment how to breathe. By the time she remembered, a group of Ghoulie's surrounded her.

"Don't kill her. Just make her suffer," Penny snapped from behind Betty, as she pressed something to her bleeding cheek.

They did make her suffer, so much she wished she would just die at that moment. Blows from everywhere crashed into her side, her legs, even her stomach as she screamed in pain. After who knew how long, they pulled back and Betty turned her weak, blurred out gaze to whoever approached. Malachai. In his hands, he held a bat and she closed her eyes, preparing herself.

The bat repeatedly crashed into her limp body until she fell out of conscious in a bloody puddle.

Penny grinned from where she was and gestured for the men to put the young woman in the chair again. Then she dialed a number and held the phone to her ear.

* * *

Jughead gripped the phone tightly as Penny mentioned Betty. "Betty?" he asked pleadingly, this wasn't good at all. They had Betty. The Ghoulies had Betty. "Let me see her! Prove that this isn't a lie!" Jughead growled at Penny, rage burning in his veins.

"Alright." The line went dead before it rang again. FaceTime. Jughead answered immediately and stared at the screen.

He wished he hadn't. The camera was pointed at somebody who was hunched over, looking almost dead. He let out a horrified gasped as he picked out her features. It was Betty. "I'll kill you!" he screamed at Penny, already grabbing his stuff.

"Don't worry, she's still alive. Barely. Let's hope you follow the rules this time, shall we?" Penny purred, voice sly and horrible. Penny was going to suffer. Jughead felt his grip on his knife tighten, he would skin her, he would not let her live this time.

"What do you want?" Jughead asked through gritted teeth.

"Oh… I don't know yet… how about… I'll think about it," Penny answered. Before Jughead could open his mouth to say something, the phone beeped twice and the line went dead.

"Betts… No…" Jughead whispered in horror. The image of her broken body was stuck in his mind. Her scratches and cuts. Her bruises and her half open eyes. This was his fault. He should've stayed with her, why had he broken up with her? As tears rolled down his face, Jughead slammed his fists on the counter in the trailer, causing the place to shake.

Only now did Penny's words truly register in his mind. Somebody broke a rule. Wasn't he the only one working with her? Jughead's heart sank as he thought of Betty at the diner. Penny must have roped Betty into this somehow. He suddenly felt a jolt of horror stir inside of him. He broke up with Betty because he thought she was cheating on him with a Ghoulie, but now it all made sense. She was doing what Penny had ordered. Her being taken was really his fault. He had overreacted and caused Betty to run off.

He stared at his phone for a moment before quickly dialing a number he knew by heart. Tears clouded his gaze but he tried his best to ignore them. "I need your help. It's serious."

Betty's eyes jolted open as water cascaded onto her features. The blood and water on her face washed off and she let out a few gargled coughs. By the time she was able to breath again, she turned to look at whoever had awaken her.

Penny.

"Ah, hope you don't try anything again. It would just break Jones to see you dead, now wouldn't it?" Penny tsked, putting her hand on Betty's broken collarbone. Betty let out a pained gasp and shut her eyes tight to try and forget the pain. "Do you have something to say to me?" the woman continued, pressing harder on the injury.

Betty clamped her jaw shut, trying her hardest not to give in. The pain burned all over, sending waves of agony through her as she screamed in pain.

"Open your eyes."

Betty flicked open her eyes and the grip on her shoulder was loosened. Betty fell silent, sobbing quietly with her gaze on Penny.

"Say what you need to say."

The young woman wanted to stay quiet, but gave a tiny nod and trying to speak. Her voice came out hoarse from lack of water. "I'm sorry." Penny smiled again and gave Betty's shoulder a rough squeeze. Betty let out an agonized gasp after Penny pulled away.

"Good girl. The more you behave. The better it will be. Understand?"

Betty nodded and Penny smiled even wider, turning and sauntering off proudly.

When she was out of sight, Betty allowed her head to fall back and her eyes to close again. She wouldn't behave. She was going to do everything she could to escape. She had survived so much, this wouldn't be the end.

She would get back to Jughead no matter what.


	17. Chapter 17: Two Hours

**Chapter 17 : Two Hours**

"Jughead, calm down; what's going on?" Archie asked as he walked through the door of Jughead's trailer.

Jughead looked horrible, he was missing his beanie and his eyes were dull with an indescribable, faraway look.

Archie had been with Veronica at his house when he got a phone call from Jughead begging him to come over. Archie had brought Veronica with him, but she was waiting in the car. She said she would come in depending on how long the talk with Jughead took.

The young man in front of Archie was silent for a moment, hardly breathing. His face was pale and his lips were pursed together tightly. When Archie repeated Jughead's name, Jughead blinked at him and sighed.

"Betty," was his quiet response.

Archie felt himself prickle at the blond's name and he narrowed his eyes. "What about her?" His muscles tensed and he raised an eyebrow at Jughead, face darkening.

Jughead was quiet again, before he took a breath and finally spoke a complete sentence. "God, I did something horrible." The young man ran his hand through his black hair and slowly explained everything he knew, flinching when he finally told somebody how big of a mistake he had made.

"What?" Archie breathed in disbelief, swallowing to try and get rid of the lump in his throat. "I need to get Veronica… we'll get her back."

 _Or at least I won't stop trying to._

* * *

Betty awoke from her half sleep when she heard the door open and the sound of footsteps echo off the walls of the room she was in. Her eyelids were heavy with lack of sleep; it had been at least a few days since Penny had taken her and she had learned to never completely fall asleep. Of course this took a toll on somebody's body and mind.

"Ah, Ponytail. Good morning to you."

 _Ah, so it's morning. My third morning. Lucky me._

"Morning," Betty replied hoarsely, knowing it was her role to reply. She forced her eyes to stay open as she attempted to even out her breathing.

"It's been some time since Jones has seen you hasn't it?" Penny continued cheerfully, sauntering over and kneeling in front of Betty. "Wanna ring him up?"

The feeling of dread that had grown in Betty's chest tightened around her lungs; she opened her mouth to reply, but no sound came out.

 _No, no I don't want to call him. Please don't call him, please…_

When Penny gave her the look to start talking, Betty gave a nod. Tears welled in her eyes but she wouldn't let them fall in front of Penny.

Her hands clenched, her nails sinking into her weak palms. The skin wouldn't break. As much as she tried to bleed so she could feel like she was in control, she was too weak to do any real damage. Betty had dried blood on her hands and wrists, who knew how long it had been there. She was bruised on her arms and stomach and she didn't even want to imagine how her face looked.

"Well then, let's call him." Penny said cheerily and gave a chortle of laughter. Mumbling something to herself, the blue eyed women opened a computer and typed in a few words.

 _Ring_.

 _Ring_.

* * *

Jughead jumped when his phone rang.

"It's her," he informed the people around him with a tense tone.

He was in Archie's living room, staring at the name on the phone. Veronica's posture straightened and Archie gave the young woman a quick hug. FP, who was leaning on the wall, narrowed his eyes and shared a look with Fred, who held out a hand for everyone to be silent.

"Ah, Jones," Penny began when Jughead answered the FaceTime call.

Immediately, Jughead looked for Betty, or some place to find out where the call was coming from. The Snake Charmer gave him a sly look and waved a hand to get his attention. He looked to Penny, narrowing his exhausted eyes. He hadn't been able to sleep, he was too busy trying to find out how to save Betty.

"Penny."

"I take it you want to see her?" Penny said, looking beyond the phone at something. Her eyes narrowed as annoyance flickered across her face and light reflected in her eyes from beyond the screen.

A door.

Jughead stayed quiet, watching the movement of the Snake Charmer with a cold, analyzing gaze. From the reflection in her eye, he could see a door opening in the dark. With a dark shape in the light area.

Somebody was standing in a large doorway.

Useless information. More useless information. Jughead felt his hope dwindle away as Penny waved the person off and turned back to the camera. What he heard next made him narrow his eyes in thought. The door made a slight rumbling noise as it was pulled shut, ending with a loud bang as it closed and the light disappeared from Penny's eyes.

A sliding door. A large sliding door.

When he saw Penny was giving him a skeptical, less confident look, he bit the inside of his cheek and swallowed hard. "Let me see her." he replied confidently.

"Be polite." Penny tsked and crossed her arms, seeming overly frustrated.

"Please. Please let me see her," Jughead repeated, using all his willpower to allow his weakness to seep through his hard shell of protection.

Penny grinned and the camera turned away from her. Jughead's heart dipped when he saw Betty and he sucked in a breath at the sight of her.

Betty was in a chair, shoulders sagging as she watched the screen of whatever Penny had called him on. She had a black eye and yellow bruises on her perfect face, bags rested heavily under her eyes and he knew she hadn't been sleeping. Jughead just couldn't imagine how the rest of her body looked.

"Betts…" he whispered weakly, at a loss for words. For a minute he forgot that there were people around him, he forgot that Penny was watching, and let himself shake in grief and sorrow. Jughead focused on her features, her pale skin, her beautiful wide eyes, her perfect eyelashes.

"Jughead." The voice that came out of the person he loved snapped him back into reality. Her voice was raw and hoarse, like she hadn't had a lot to drink. Jughead narrowed his eyes when she looked into the camera. "Stay. Don't look for me," she stated coldly, her voice suddenly sounding strong.

The call flicked off and he was left staring at the darkness of his phone screen.

"No!" Jughead cried out and hung his head. A hand rested on his shoulder and he looked up to see his father standing behind him with a soft, yet determined look on his face. Only then did he remember everybody around him. Fred Andrews was watching with a sorrowful look, Archie had wrapped his arms around a crying Veronica, who must have been devastated to see proof her best friend wasn't safe.

Jughead felt FP pull him to his feet and he shook his head. "Come on, boy. We need to get home," he sighed halfheartedly.

"No. I'm staying here. She said to stay."

 _Please have a plan, Betts…_

* * *

Betty watched in dismay as Penny flicked the computer shut with a yawn. She flinched as a Ghoulie stepped out from the shadows. It took her a moment to adjust to the darkness after looking at a bright screen and sucked in a breath.

"I didn't do anything wrong!" she begged, trying to cover her face with her hands.

Penny gave a laugh and shrugged. "I know."

The Ghoulie paused when Penny held out a hand but Betty didn't relax. Penny had tricked her like this before.

"It's just…" Penny continued, "my cheek still stings… from when you cut into it with your filthy nail." The woman touched her cheek and sighed wistfully.

Betty's heart sank, she knew that tone.

"Malachai, the knife. Give her a mark on the cheek, so it can sting like mine," Penny instructed with a nod, as if proud of herself.

The filthy rat.

The Ghoulie in the shadows pulled out a knife from his pocket and gave a nod. "Of course," he said simply and walked forward, reaching her in a few strides.

Betty closed her eyes as pain seared in her face. The knife cut across her jawline, letting a line of new blood begin to spill down her face. Betty suppressed the urge to scream or react as she closed her eyes even tighter. Two more hours.

Betty sat in that chair, the bleeding on her cheek had stopped but it still burned. The Ghoulies were gone and Penny had left. Three days Betty had memorized everybody's schedules. When the sun dropped low enough that only a sliver of light shone above the top window, nobody was in the warehouse for the next thirty minutes.

For those thirty minutes everyone would be busy. Penny would be going home, or work, or somewhere. The Ghoulies would be out to stock up on drugs. This was it.

The young women slipped her bone thin wrists from the ropes that held her and then carefully loosened the rope around her ankles. Betty then shifted in her seat and her bobby pin fell from her sleeve and landed on the ground. Picking up the pin, she jabbed it into the the rope on her leg and tore it off. Burns from the ropes covered her ankles and wrists as she shakily stood up from her seat.

A new burst of pain shot through her when she stumbled and caught herself by grabbing onto a rack. Her collarbone twisted and she bit her tongue to keep herself from crying out in pain. Exhaustion pulled on her, begging her to lay down and sleep forever. Blood began to seep out of old wounds when she started to limp to the back of the warehouse.

Betty let out a shaky breath and she slowly got to her knees. In front of her, a hole in the wall gaped open, revealing the bright sun of the outside. Pulling away she closed her eyes in pain. After days in the dark, the sun was almost too much to handle. Then, with great effort, she pushed herself through the hole and into the outside world.

Betty's arms and legs scraped against the sharp edges of the gash in the wall but she forced herself to keep going until she was completely outside. Once outside, she forced open her eyes and took in everything. It was dusk. Betty's gaze went to the ground and she finally saw what she wanted. Tracks. There was one warehouse as large as the one she was kept in around Riverdale and Greendale. She just needed to follow the tracks back to civilization.

It was time to finish this. She knew if she was caught now, she was surely going to be dead and there was no turning back. Betty got to her feet and tried to push aside the burning pain as she took off in a run, racing alongside the tracks as fast as she could. She needed to get home. She needed to get to her family. To her friends.

It was finally time.


	18. Chapter 18: Gunshots in the Distance

**Chapter 18 : Gunshots in the Distance**

Betty finally slowed her pace, letting herself lean against a tree. It was dark already and a thick layer of storm clouds swamped the sky. Her lungs heaved, and with each breath she felt her hope drain more and more. Letting her eyes close for a moment while leaning against the tree, she felt tears slip down her cheeks.

Betty had lost the train tracks, meaning she had no clue where she was or how far her friends were. Her collarbone burned, sending fiery shocks of pain through her whenever her shoulder made contact with the tree.

Veronica, she's so kind… I must get to her. She must be worried, the young woman thought before looking around in the forest. She forced false hope into her mind before she pushed away from the tree and took a ragged breath.

Taking in her surroundings, Betty licked her dry lips and brushed her hand against her mouth, wiping blood from her jaw.

"Alright. Betty Cooper. Walk," she ordered herself.

After a moment, she did manage to push herself forward, trudging farther into the forest. How far away could civilization really be?

Archie, he's such a great guy. I need to get to him, Betty thought, nodding to herself as she tried to convince herself to keep going. She couldn't bring herself to think of Jughead, for all that did was cause her to break down in tears.

Wind whistled in the trees, loud and high pitched. Her hands went to her ears, covering them from the horrible sound. Slowly, Betty let her hands drop from her ears and she sucked in a breath.

It wasn't the wind that was whistling, it was a whistle! The train!

Betty broke off into another jog, her legs burned but she blocked out the pain. She was in Southside! She was close to Pop's diner…

Brambles scraped against her ankles, tearing up the raw skin as she raced through the forest. Her gaze searched for the diner as she narrowed her eyes. She would've yelled for help, but Betty's voice was too weak to do anything of the sort.

After what felt like an eternity, the lights of the diner gleamed in the dark. Betty's eyes shut tightly at the bright light but she kept walking. She paused at the railroad, doing a quick search for any trains before running across and pausing by the back of the diner. Doubt crept into her gaze before she sighed.

Silent sobs shook Betty's body as she turned away from the diner. She needed to get to Archie's house, not the diner.

A car pulled up in front of the diner and horror struck Betty like a punch. She fell to the ground, cowering behind the diner. It was the truck. The Ghoulie truck. That could only mean one thing, that Penny and Malachi noticed she was gone and they were here to get her.

Fear caught in her throat when she came to the conclusion they might not even be looking for her. What if they were going to go after Pop? Or people she cared about? She needed to do something.

The young woman gripped the diner wall and Betty forced herself into a standing position. Then she stepped out of the shadows and her gaze caught onto Penny. Then she examined Penny's hand and her thoughts were proved true. A gun was gripped tightly in Penny's white-knuckled grip.

Malachi was nowhere in sight. Thank god.

"Penny Peabody," Betty growled, stepping out of the shadows so she was revealed in the light of the diner.

Penny whipped around and cocked the gun as she brought it up, pointing towards Betty's figure. Fear sank in heart but Betty narrowed her eyes, keeping a strong figure.

"Ah. Ponytail…" Penny voice was sickly sweet. When Betty didn't move, rage filled the Snake Charmer's eyes. "Get in the car!" she snapped, aiming for Betty's head.

The blond took a quick breath before walking forward, towards the truck, towards Penny. A smile spread across Penny's face, but the gun didn't lower.

Betty paused at the door of the truck; ideas ran through her head before she settled on one. It could end up in two ways. Both included death or injury.

Turning around sharply, she backhanded the gun out of Penny's hands before she could pull the trigger. The gun clattered to the ground and Penny hissed in anger, slapping Betty across the face. Betty let out a gasp and crumbled to the ground, arms buckling under the pressure when she tried to catch herself.

"You filthy, horrible rat!" Penny screeched, voice raising in rage. The woman glared down at Betty, blowing out a breath in frustration. "You are weak!"

Betty's hand edged closer to her goal, not speaking.

"You thought you could escape! You can't! You can't escape me, the Black Hood-"

"-Shut up," Betty hissed, aiming the gun for Penny's head. Slowly standing up, she smiled grimly at Penny's delusional expression. Penny grinned widely, laughing cruelly.

"You won't do it. You're not a killer, you couldn't do it." Penny laughed, smirking at Betty and raising an eyebrow.

Betty didn't hesitate and stood up, rage flowing thickly in her veins. She remembered Reggie, saying the same things and how she reacted. Betty froze and ended up in a corner in her bedroom listening to Reggie destroy her house. Blinded by memories and hate, Betty tightened her grip on the gun.

Then she fired.

* * *

"Jughead?" Pop began slowly on the other side of the line.

"Pop?" Jughead held out his hand to the people around him when they began to speak in hushed tones. Fred had gone upstairs, FP had left, right after allowing Jughead to stay the night. Veronica and Archie hadn't left, and Polly had came with Alice.

"I found Betty. You need to get over here. As soon as possible. Don't tell anyone," Pop said, voice cautious. It was weird how strangely numb he sounded.

The moment Pop mentioned Betty, Jughead had gotten to his feet and started for the door. He quickly grabbed his keys and murmured a few things to Pop before hanging up. He shoved his phone in his jacket and looked to Archie, who had stood up and was coming over.

"Stay here guys. I-I'll be back. Stay here." With that, Jughead quickly left, letting to door shut with a loud click.

"I'm coming Betty," he murmured as he got on his motorcycle.

When Jughead arrived at the diner, he immediately felt his stomach turn over. A puddle of blood pooled on the ground. The diner was closed, but the lights were on inside. Pop appeared at the door and quickly waved Jughead in.

"Pop, where is she?" Jughead asked and Pop pointed to a booth where someone sat.

Betty's blonde hair was matted but it was the most perfect thing he had seen in days. A blanket was wrapped around Betty as she numbly stared at the diner table. She was holding a rag to her jaw, face blotchy and eyes bloodshot from tears. Betty looked up when the diner door closed with a ding. To his dismay, she broke into a sobbing fit the moment she saw him.

Gulping, Jughead shoved his hands in his pockets and slowly walked over to her.

"Betty…"

* * *

 ** _Sorry it took so long to upload! Also, I apologize for this chapter being so short._**

 ** _I want to thank you all so much for reading my book! You comments mean so much to me! Thank you!_**


	19. Chapter 19: Not Okay

**Chapter 19 : Not Okay**

Jughead slid into the seat parallel to Betty, looking down at the countertop with a pained expression. Her sobs had subsided slightly but she still looked shaken and hurt.

"Betty… I'm so sorry…" Jughead said, his voice hollow with grief. "I didn't think- I didn't even imagine this…" he stammered, narrowing his eyes as he looked down at his hands.

"You're sorry?" Betty said quietly in disbelief. Jughead forced his gaze up to hers, looking into her beautiful green eyes. "No… I'm sorry. I should've told you. I should've confided in you… I'm sorry, I'm so so sorry." She sobbed, tears running down her face as she tried to speak once again.

Jughead felt his heart crumple as she spoke and he reached out to hold her hand. When he held one of her scarred hands in his she didn't pull away, she just held his hand tighter.

"You have nothing to be sorry about, Betty. I was wrong. I overreacted and-"

"-Jughead." Betty interrupted and he immediately fell silent. She sucked in a breath and sighed shakily. "I forgive you. I'd forgive you a thousand times over if I could, alright? I love you," the young woman said passionately.

Jughead looked back to her face and sighed in shock, a slight smile overtaking him. "Betty… You did nothing wrong, but if you feel like you did then I forgive you too," he murmured and she smiled ever so slightly. "I love you, Betty Cooper. I'll always love you, no matter what," Jughead added warmly.

Setting the rag in her hands on the counter, a look of grief overshadowed Betty's face. Jughead's eyes went from the rag to her face and he winced. She had been holding the rag to a long cut that trailed across her jawline. Dried blood still lined the wound, but most of it had come off on the rag.

Jughead sucked in a breath as if only noticing her state. One of her shoulders slouched and her face was bruised and yellow. She had a busted lip and a black eye from at least a few days ago. The newest wound she had was a red mark on her face, presumably from when someone slapped her.

"Betty, your face…" he whispered, standing up and switching seats so he sat beside her. Putting an arm around her he felt his heart sink when she flinched in pain. The moment she showed she was in pain, he pulled his arm away and looked down guiltily. "Sorry."

Betty's hand had gone to her face when he mentioned it and she swallowed back a wail. "How bad is it?"

"Not good at all." Jughead answered truthfully, voice thick with emotion.

The young woman closed her eyes and a quiet sob escaped her. "Oh, Jug… It was horrible! I was so so scared… I didn't know what to do…" she cried softly, tears streaking her dirty face.

Jughead narrowed his eyes in grief and rage. Penny was going to pay the ultimate price for this. Penny and all of the Ghoulies who laid a hand on Betty. Remaining silent he looked at her with despair.

Betty leaned into him, wrapping her arms around him as she cried. Jughead sucked in a breath at how lithe her arms were. "Do you want… some food?" he asked quietly. For once in his life he wasn't hungry, but she had to be.

The blond looked up to him, taking a breath to regain herself. "Yeah… I do," she answered, voice breaking when she saw how concerned he was.

"Have they been feeding you?"

Betty was silent for a moment. Hugging him tighter and crying into his shirt she finally spoke up, "No."

Rage sparked in Jughead but he said nothing about it. Kissing the top of her head, he gestured for Pop. The man quickly came over and looked over at Betty with sympathy before looking back to Jughead.

"Can you bring us a burger and some fries? And a water?" Jughead asked and Pop gave a nod.

"Of course," Pop replied. He looked as if he wanted to say something to Betty but he remained quiet, turning to leave. Once he had walked off, Jughead looked back to Betty, who had stopped sobbing and was looking numbly at the window of the diner.

"Betty, if you're okay with it… can you tell me what happened?" Jughead asked, voice breaking slightly. He didn't want to hear what they did to her, but he needed to know.

Betty was silent for a few moments, before she hugged Jughead even tighter and sighed. "On the first day… I tried fighting back and someone called Malachai broke my collarbone." Jughead tensed up and tears rimmed his eyes. Malachai was a dead man. "Later, I was stupid enough to try and escape… they caught me and…" She choke on her words and the tears in his eyes slid down his face. "...so many people… I thought I was dead. And Malachai, he has this… bat… with nails…" Jughead felt his breath catch. Malachai had beat her with his spiked bat. No wonder she had flinched when he put his arm around her.

Betty was silent after a moment, overtaken with sobs. "Juggie it was horrible… horrible…" She wailed, tears streaking her face once again.

"You don't have to keep talking about it…" Jughead murmured and she nodded gratefully but her tears didn't stop. "I'm sorry I wasn't there to protect you… Penny will pay."

To his despair, she let out a fresh sob at Penny's name. "Penny… Jughead I did something terrible! I'm a monster!" she wailed, voice level increasing until he hugged her. "Jughead… I shot her! I shot her in the chest and I don't regret it! I'm a monster, aren't I? Just like my father!" Betty cried.

Jughead's gaze softened and he gently pulled her away so she would look at him. "You are not your father, and you are not a monster for shooting her and not regretting it! Especially after what she did to you!" he insisted. Betty paused for a moment before nodding, still unsure.

"Here you go, kids…" Pop murmured, setting a tray of food down on the counter.

"Betty, I'm so sorry. Would you like me to call your mother?"

"No!" Betty said quickly before sighing. "I'll call her… thank you, Pop."

Pop's expression softened and he nodded, leaving the two alone.

Jughead looked at Betty, who stared at the food before gingerly reaching out and grabbing a fry. The young man's face twisted in guilt at the marks on her arms and wrists. She must have been mortified.

A few moments passed and Betty looked up to Jughead. She had eaten so quickly, it was clear she had been starving. "Thank you," she whispered. Jughead smiled and nodded, still sick over her descriptions of when she was harmed.

"Do you want me to call Archie and tell him to drive us back to his house? Your mom and Polly are there and have been worried sick," Jughead told her and frowned when she winced at the mention of her mom.

"Yeah, call Archie… And look at me." Jughead looked over at Betty when she asked him to. She was looking at him with soft eyes. Leaning close she kissed him, wrapping her arms around him and pressing her lips to his.

The kiss was short but even more amazing than all their other kisses. When she pulled away, he smiled when he saw Betty grinning.

"God, Juggie. I love you so much," Betty whispered before sighing. "I missed you."

"I missed you too." Jughead murmured and looked in her gorgeous green eyes. "And I love you so much." Planting a kiss on her cheek he pulled out his phone.

"Jughead? What happened?" Archie's panicked voice answered when the phone call was connected. A series of people in the background started talking and Jughead had to pull the phone away from his ear for a moment.

"I found Betty. I need you to drive over here and give us a ride to the hospital-"

"-Tell him to come alone. I don't want to face everyone in a car ride," Betty interrupted and he nodded.

"Can you come alone? Betty doesn't want to explain everything in a car," Jughead said, relishing in Betty's thankful smile.

"Yeah, yeah. Of course," Archie replied and Jughead could hear him say a few things to the people in the room before he spoke again. "I'll be there as soon as possible," he added before the phone call was ended.

Betty let out a shaky sigh once Jughead put the phone on the counter. "We'll get you through this. Alright?" Betty looked uncertain but nodded.

"Alright."

* * *

Archie did arrive as soon as possible; within twenty minutes the diner's door was pushed open, and standing in the doorway was the young man with red hair.

Betty pressed closer to Jughead, already nervous. What was she going to say to everyone?

When Archie saw Betty, he rushed over. "Betty!" he exclaimed but paused when he reached the booth. His face twisted into something that Betty couldn't put her finger on. Rage? Guilt? Despair? "What happened to you?"

Jughead flashed Archie a look and the young man nodded, going quiet.

Betty let out a shaky breath; all she wanted was for things to go back to normal.

Jughead stood up from the booth and held his hand out of Betty. She paused, before sliding out of the booth and grabbing his hand. The moment she stood up, her legs buckled and she went limp. Jughead's arms quickly wrapped around her and caught her before she fell to the hard floor.

"You okay?" the young man asked, helping her stand up and letting Betty lean against him.

She whispered a simple, "Fine," and he nodded.

Archie had stayed standing where he was, in complete shock when he finally saw the bruises and cuts on her body. After a moment, his surprise wore off and he quickly moved back to being Archie.

"Alright, uh. The car's this way," Archie stammered as he nodded, then he turned to walk out of the diner.

Betty felt her stomach twist in knots as she trudged beside Jughead. Everything burned. The cuts on her legs flared up when they hit cold air, the cut on the cheek began to bleed slightly once again and her collarbone was in so much pain because Jughead had his arm draped carefully around her. She didn't want to pull away from Jughead, because he felt horrible enough, but it made her shoulder burn with pain.

Jughead helped her into the car, getting in the backseat first then using Archie's help to hoist her into the truck. A few cuts on her back started bleeding at the touch. She suppressed the urge to cry out in pain went she sat against the seat.

Jughead seemed to see how much pain she was in and his face became twisted with guilt.

"You didn't know where I was. It's not-" She paused when Archie got in and pulled the front door closed. The action sent vibrations through the car and Betty winced in searing pain. "…it's not your fault," she finally finished.

The black haired young man looked unsure and still guilty but gave a nod. Betty gave him a quick kiss before leaning her head against his shoulder. Jughead gave a soft laugh and she knew he was smiling, just like she was.

Even with all this pain she had gone through, all the hurt and emotions, she felt safe when she was close to Jughead. As if she could face anything life threw at her.

Except she knew couldn't.


	20. Chapter 20: I've Changed

**Chapter 20 : I've Changed**

Half a week. Three days. That was how long Betty was in the hospital. She spent the time in the room by herself, gathering her thoughts and imagining what she was going to do when she got out. She requested no visitors, not even Jughead. She just wanted to be alone, she wasn't able to face anyone at the moment.

Now the doctors were letting her out.

Currently, Betty was standing in the doorway of the room she was staying in. Her arm was in a sling to help her healing collarbone and her back was smeared with some sort of gel to help the wounds that coated her back.

Pushing open the door she kept her gaze on her hands; they were pale and clean, as if everything she had been through had just been... wiped away. Betty knew what had happened though, she knew everything in painful detail. The memories were something that couldn't ever be forgotten.

As she walked the halls, her gaze fell to the ground. Now it was time to face everyone. This time it was different than from she left the hospital before, this time there was going to be pity. They would all treat her like she was so fragile. Like a glass that would shatter with one touch. If anything though, Betty was stronger than ever. She was stronger after everything but they wouldn't know. Betty didn't want to be babied, she wanted them to forget what she had gone through. Pretend it never happened.

"Betty!" Veronica was the first to speak when she entered the room with all her visitors. Betty pulled her gaze from her hands and looked at everyone.

FP was sitting by Alice and Polly, his gaze somber while Alice looked relieved and emotional. Veronica was standing up, looking at her with the saddest gaze Betty had ever seen. Archie was sitting down as well, his gaze downward, as if he felt too guilty to even look at her. Kevin, Josie, Toni and Cheryl were all seated as well, looking up at Betty with soft expressions full of pity.

Betty offered them a small, weak smile and glanced around for him. A weight seemed to lift off her chest when she saw Jughead leaning against a wall, looking over at her with a soft smile. Not pity. Not guilt. He was just happy to see her.

Walking over to Veronica, Betty felt Veronica give her a gentle hug before she pulled away. Veronica was scared to hurt her friend, that was obvious. Betty wished she wouldn't act so tender. When her friend pulled away, Betty laughed softly and hugged Veronica tightly.

"Hey, V," she whispered and heard Veronica take in a shaky breath as she hugged Betty back.

Veronica pulled away again when Alice stood up and rushed over.

Standing in front of her daughter, she sucked in a breath and looked at Betty with grief. "I'm sorry, Betty." Her voice sounded generally apologetic. Betty felt tears prick at the corner of her eyes.

"It's okay, Mom…" Her voice cracked slightly and she felt tears roll softly down her cheeks. Alice did care, Polly did care, but they themselves didn't even know until they almost lost Betty.

Once Betty met with mostly everyone who had come she walked over to Jughead. When she started walking over to him, he stood up straight and held out his arms to her. Rushing into his arms, she breathed in his warmth, his love.

"What do you say we get out of here?" Jughead asked and she nodded.

"I say definitely. I already asked everyone that I wanted to have some time alone with you. They all understood," Betty whispered back and after a moment, they pulled away from each other. "As for being alone once I was brought here- I'm sorry. I just needed space."

Jughead smiled slightly, affection glowing in his gaze. "I understand."

Just like that, Betty knew he really did understand. He understood that she didn't like being vulnerable, that she just wanted things back to normal.

He understood more than anyone else could ever.

* * *

The day after she was released from the hospital was a Monday, and Betty decided she was going back to school. It was the last week before summer break and she was going to attend.

Closing her locker with her good arm, Betty took a breath and smiled at Jughead who was leaning against a different locker.

"You didn't have to wait for me to get your lunch," Betty murmured and Jughead shrugged.

"Of course I did, I'm not ever letting go of you again," the young man answered and put his arm around Betty's shoulder gently.

Betty suppressed the urge to roll her eyes and leaned towards him, giving him a soft kiss. When they pulled apart, Jughead smiled warmly and Betty couldn't help but smile as well. Kissing Jughead just seemed to clear her mind. "I can take care of myself. I've changed."

Hearing Betty's words, a dark look overshadowed Jughead's face but he didn't say anything about it. "Of course you can take care of yourself. You're Betty Cooper," Jughead murmured, but his voice remained slightly uncertain.

A few minutes later the group was sitting at a table while they ate. Betty eyes glittered with amusement at Archie's story about how he drove the car they fixed up into the river and how he and Veronica had to pull it out.

"Betty Cooper."

Anger flickered in Betty at the voice and she glanced over at Jughead. His jaw was set and his fists were clenched in anger. Taking a calming breath, the young woman turned around to face the man who spoke her name. "Reggie Mantle," she muttered, placing a hand on Jughead's leg to calm him before she stood up.

The jock who said her name was looking at her, a smug grin on his face. "Welcome back-"

Without thinking, Betty's fist made contact with Reggie's face. A murmur of shock spread like a wave around the cafeteria as he fell to the floor with a grunt of pain. Pain flickered across her knuckles but she ignored it.

Once he was on the floor, Betty bent down, leaning close to his ear. "I can handle myself," she whispered to him, hand going to her pocket. Flicking out a knife, she couldn't help but remember that when Reggie held her at gunpoint, he showed her no mercy. She relished in everyone's gasps of horror. Panic flashed across the young man's face as she moved the knife closer to his face.

"Now listen to me, do not mess with me or my family, ever again. Do you understand?" Betty's voice was low and cold. Reggie nodded in fear.

"Oh my god, Betty!" Veronica gasped but Betty blocked her friend's voices from her mind.

It was then, with Betty in her Serpent jacket and a knife held to Reggie's face that Betty knew it was true. She had changed.

"Betty!" Jughead's voice was barely heard as Betty began to press the cool blade to Reggie's cheek. Reggie Mantle was horrified, just like she had been when he held her at gunpoint.

"Betty!" Jughead tried again and she gave him a look to stay out of it.

When Chuck grabbed Betty's arm to pull her away from Reggie, she slashed the knife out and it cut into the man's arm. Chuck hissed in pain and let go of her, grasping his arm in agony.

"Damn, you're crazy!" Chuck growled and backed away from Betty.

When Jughead wrapped her in his arms and pulled her away, Betty struggled against his grip. "Let go of me," she hissed as she held onto the knife.

"Betty, you've made your point! Let go of the knife!" Jughead pleaded and Betty sighed in anger but dropped the knife. The metal clattered to the ground and she could see the relief that Reggie felt in the way he relaxed.

Jughead wrapped his arms carefully around her, guilt flowing in his eyes when he saw blood trickle down her shoulder. Her wounds had reopen when he tried to pull her away. "Come on, we better go…" Without waiting for an answer he pulled her to her feet gently and led her from the huge crowd, pushing through the mass of people.

The young man led Betty outside and set her down on one of the bleachers on the football field. Betty focused on the ground, at the field. Grass stretched onwards like an ocean. Jughead kneeled in front of her and she forced herself to look up at his face. Concern filled his face along with… fear. She was scaring him.

Betty sucked in a shaky breath and let her tears fall. "Jug… I don't know what happened…" How much he cared for her made her feel even worse for scaring him. The young man put his arms around her, bringing her close to him. He didn't say anything though, letting Betty speak.

It was quiet for a moment before Betty sighed shakily and placed her forehead on his shoulder. "I want things to just… go back. I hate how people treat me and I hate the things I feel when I remember…" Her voice trailed off as memories took over. The pain and the fear she felt.

"Betty… I'm here for you. Okay?" Jughead's voice was soft and understanding. Betty cried harder when she couldn't get herself to forget about what happened when she was taken. It was trauma she wasn't sure she could ever forget. "Okay?" Jughead repeated, rubbing her good shoulder gently to soothe her.

"Okay." Betty breathed, voice shaky still. Pulling away from Jughead, she looked in his eyes. When she saw how guilty and horrible he clearly felt, she took a deep breath. "Alright. Yeah... thank you." she whispered and wiped the tears away with the back of her hand.

Wrapping her arm around his neck she enveloped him in a firm hug. Wrapping his arms around her, Jughead kissed the top of her head. "Don't hesitate to come to me again. I'm always here to listen." Once again Betty nodded and kept her arm around him.

"And Betty?" Jughead added softly.

Betty let go of him and looked at him with a raised eyebrow. "Hmm?"

"If you ever need someone to pay for what they have done, let me do it. I don't want you to get in trouble whenever you want to get revenge," Jughead whispered and Betty couldn't help the warm smile that rose to her face.

"I'll think about it."

For a moment, Jughead was able to put aside his anger for everyone who hurt Betty. That was for a moment. Before he saw the blood on Betty's back from when her wounds reopened. The wounds Penny caused. Jughead's blood boiled as he thought of how traumatized Betty was only moments ago.

Penny was done hurting Betty, for good. It was now time to put his plan into action. So starting tomorrow Penny was going to leave Riverdale.

 _And she was going to leave a dead woman._


	21. Chapter 21: Vengeance

**(Warning: VIOLENT)**

 **Chapter 21 : Vengeance**

"I've what?" Betty grumbled, looking up at the young man with narrowed eyes.

Jughead sighed and rubbed his temple with his hand. "Betts, you've been expelled for attacking a student on school grounds with a knife. I understand why you did it, but Weatherbee doesn't."

Betty sucked in a breath, shaking her head as she sat down on her bed. "Yeah, that makes sense," she murmured, shaking her head. Her hair was free of an elastic, falling loose around her shoulders, and her usual cardigan had been replaced with her leather jacket. She had put on a black tank top and dark jeans. From the first look it surprised even Jughead that she was Betty Cooper.

"Jug?"

"Hmm?" he asked, sitting down on the bed beside Betty and putting an arm around her shoulders. Pain flickered in her gaze and he sighed sadly, beginning to pull away before Betty grabbed his hand, keeping his arm around her.

"I want to help," Betty said simply, looking him in the eye.

Confusion flickered across Jughead's face and he rose a brow. "With what exactly?"

"Getting revenge on Penny. I know you're going to do it and I want to help. I'm your Serpent Queen and we need to do this together."

Jughead sighed and shook his head, opening his mouth to answer her with a no, when he felt surprise flicker across him as she grabbed his face so he looked into her eyes. "I went through pain, I need my revenge. More than even you," Betty explained, not breaking eye contact with the young man.

"Alright," Jughead agreed, a smile spreading on his face. She was so strong to be able to do what she was doing. To face what happened not too long ago.

"Also," Betty continued and he raised an eyebrow as he waited for her addition. "I want you to put your beanie back on. I miss it." Affection warmed her gaze, and he laughed softly. She was going to be okay. His imperfect, amazing Betty was going to heal.

"I'm okay with that," Jughead approved and Betty moved her hands from his jawline to his cheeks as she pressed her lips to his. As their kiss deepened, her hands fell and he cupped her cheeks. It was the perfect kiss, really. When they pulled away, both of their eyes were twinkling with adoration. "Oh yeah, I just want to say you look beautiful in that jacket," he added and Betty thanked him with another passionate kiss.

They were going to make it. Jughead knew that much.

"Alright, here's the plan." Jughead started, looking around him. Cheryl, Toni, and Betty sat around him. Cheryl had insisted that Penny deserved to die for what she had done to her cousin, and Toni agreed wholeheartedly, saying no Serpent was harmed without revenge.

Betty felt warmed to the core when Toni called her a Serpent.

"Penny said she was Serpent for life, and clearly no matter what we try to remove she'll just be back. So she'll get a mark to show she's tangled with the Serpents until she dies."

Cheryl grinned. "A branding."

"Exactly," Jughead murmured and Betty grinned her agreement.

"I love it," The Northsider nodded, a dark flicker in her eyes. "As for Malachai, he deserves a bullet through the head for what's he done."

Toni glanced at her in surprise and Betty nodded, not a trace of mischief in her gaze.

Jughead looked at the young woman for a long moment, before he nodded. "Agreed."

"There'll be a war," Toni warned, trying to get them to stop before they got themselves into trouble they couldn't get out of.

"There's already a war, TT. The war started when the Ghoulies harmed our Queen," the redhead answered for Jughead coolly and shared a small smile with Betty.

"Then it's settled," Betty concluded and the group around her nodded.

"Midnight tonight. Here."

Five minutes before midnight, Betty was looking at her hands. It felt unreal. Only a few months ago she was on her own bed in the morning, wondering how she was going to ever face her classmates. Now, she felt powerful. She was scarred for life, and everyone who was a part of it was going to pay, _dearly_.

"Everything okay, Betts?" Jughead asked, sitting beside her on the couch as he passed her a cup of water.

"Yeah, everything's… going to be okay," Betty murmured, whispering a quiet thank you as she took the glass.

Whenever she closed her eyes, she saw Malachai with those bloodshot eyes laughing as he held his bat in his hands. Whenever she brought the drink to her lips, she was reminded of Penny pouring water over her head to wake her up, almost drowning her. Underneath every horrifying memory, rage rested like a pit in her mind. Then, she saw Jughead, kind and caring. Helping her through everything she had gone through.

A knock on the door made Betty turn to Jughead. "Thank you, for everything," she whispered and kissed him softly before she stood up to answer the door.

Cheryl was standing in the doorway, a bow hanging at her side. "Just in case," she assured nobody in particular. "Do you have a gun?" she asked Betty.

"Yes."

Turning, Betty left the room, coming back with a pistol. Holding it made her feel strong, unstoppable. Her hands traced over the crown that had been etched onto its side. Jughead's signature marking. For a moment, as she looked up and made eye contact with Jughead, she saw how much her being in danger had hurt him. She had changed, but she had to. She couldn't imagine what she would do if he was gone.

Breaking eye contact when Toni cleared her throat, Betty glanced back over at the young women standing outside the door. "Let's do this." Betty nodded, hand entwining with Jughead's as he walked by. She saw the ghost of a smile flash across his face, and all she wanted to do at the moment was make that smile stay. "I love you," she whispered and he did smile, causing her to smile as well.

"I love you too. Now let's go get our revenge, shall we?"

"I'd love to."

Cheryl and Toni had their own motorcycles, and Betty got on the back of Jughead's bike. She was going to need to convince him to get her one. She was a serpent after all.

The three motorcycles took off with fantastic speed, racing away. If they wanted to get to Penny's drug shipment, they had to hurry.

And they did. Reaching where they were supposed to be in record time, Jughead brought the motorcycle to a stop as he glanced in the direction of the warehouse. Betty felt her skin crawl as the memories flooded her mind. The exact same warehouse she had been kept hostage in. Feeling Jughead wrap her hands around hers, she smiled and her fears immediately vanished.

"We're going through the main door. Betty, are you sure just Malachai and Penny will be here?"

Cheryl asked, getting her bow from her satchel that hung on the motorcycle.

"I'm sure." Thirty minutes from midnight was when Malachai and Penny met up for a drug exchange while everyone else was out doing who knows what.

Once confirmed, Jughead led them over to the main door. His hands gripped the handle and he pulled the door open.

"Rattle, did you finish everything earl-" Penny stopped mid-sentence as the four entered the building. Her jaw clenched and Betty saw Malachai reach for his bat. Memories stung her and her hand went to her pocket, to the gun.

"Hey, pretty blondie. Back so soon?" The Ghoulie asked, eyes bloodshot from whatever alcohol he was drinking. Betty smirked, and the others focused on Penny as she approached Malachai with confidence. "What? Did you grow some guts?" he asked, swinging the bat in his hand like a toy. She bit the inside of her cheek.

As Malachai walked closer and closer to her, she smirked. "How sad, I find my nerve, right before you have to die. I was hoping I could watch you suffer. Oh wait, why don't I?" she asked, pulling the gun out of her jacket pocket. As she pointed it at the Ghoulie, she saw him stiffen as the bat fell from his hands.

She didn't hesitate as she shot him in the leg; Malachai doubled over and crumbled to the ground, she could hear Penny gasp quietly. With Malachai on the floor, she smiled at how he gripped his leg in agony as he screeched for her to just shoot him in the head.

Betty looked over her shoulder when Penny let out a small scream of surprise and fear. Sweet Pea must have arrived with the brander. When she saw that he had, she watched as he passed the scalding hot weapon to Jughead. As Cheryl pulled up Penny's shirt, Jughead pressed the metal to her hip. Betty could hear both Penny's screams and the sizzle of the brand doing its magic. When Jughead pulled away and dropped the brander on the floor, she saw the emblem of a snake burned into her skin. Betty smiled before turning back to Malachai.

Malachai was still clutching his leg but had gone silent after what Penny had gone through. When Betty pointed the gun to the man's head, she suddenly felt nauseous. She heard her father's—the black hood's— words repeating in her mind over and over again.

 _"You'll be back, Betty. You can move across the country, you can change the locks, you can fry me in the electric chair but_ _ **I will always**_ _be with you, Betty."_

Her legs felt weak, her stomach twisted in horror. She was turning into her father. She had the same darkness that had been passed on for generations. As much as she tried to get her life back in order, or prove she was strong, she wasn't. She was just like her father. As the gun fell from her hands, a gunshot rang through the air and she whipped around.

Everything was still for a moment, everyone covered their ears and looked around. Betty looked down at her hands, she hadn't pulled the trigger. Then she saw Jughead. He looked at her with a blank expression, and her gaze traveled to his chest, where blood began seeping from a hole in his abdomen.

Betty's scream rang in the air, horrified as his body went limp and he crumpled to the ground like a dead leaf.


	22. Chapter 22: Ticking Clock

**Chapter 22: Ticking Clock**

Cheryl rushed forward, holding Jughead up so he wouldn't hit the floor and injure himself further. Blood seeped around the wounded area, dripping down his shirt and jacket.

"Jug!" Betty gasped, racing over. Pressing her hands to the gunshot wound, she pursed her lips in panic. "Stay with me, Jug."

The young man's eyes fluttered open and shut as if they couldn't decide what they preferred. "Betts," he wheezed. His mouth opened like he wanted to say something, but no sound came out.

"Save your breath, Romeo," Betty instructed, voice pleading. Turning to Cheryl and the other Serpents, who had frozen to watch what had happened, Betty jumped into action. "Get him on his bike, I'm driving."

"That's suicide; you can't ride and hold him at the same time!" Toni jumped in, but Betty shook her head.

"Then I'll die trying," she snapped, pulling her hair into a ponytail to keep it out of the way when she drove.

It was clear they wouldn't be able to call the cops, after what they had done. It was too late to do the right thing. But it wasn't too late to save Jughead.

"Or maybe you'll die now." Betty glanced over her shoulder at the sound Malachai's voice. Her eyes narrowed in mockery.

The Ghoulie was sprawled on the ground, but he was still defiant. Propped up against the wall, he aimed the gun toward Betty and Jughead. Betty's jaw set with sheer anger and clenched her fists. They didn't have time for this!

Warm blood coated Betty's hand as she kept it held to Jughead's abdomen. Tears of frustration pricked at her eyes but she wouldn't let them fall.

Betty looked over to Toni, who had backed away from Jughead's body and had her gun hidden behind her. Making eye contact, Betty gave a swift nod and Toni aimed the gun at Malachai. Without hesitation, she sent a bullet flying into the Ghoulie's chest. The young man convulsed, dropping his gun and clutching his wound.

Betty stood up, helping Jughead up. He had been shot in the stomach, and he was dying as they spoke. Still, he tried to stand, even while clinging to life. "Come on, lean on me…" she whispered, still pressing her hand to his wound.

She knew in this moment that he wouldn't make it on a bike. "Call an ambulance, Sweet Pea," Betty instructed, voice strained. If something happened to Jughead, she didn't know what she would do.

As Sweet Pea called 9-1-1, Betty got Jughead to lay back down. "Cheryl, Toni, wrap something around the gunshot. I need to do something." The two young women shared a look but nodded and hurried over.

Betty grabbed the gun Toni had shot Malachai with and wiped it off with her shirt before covering it with her prints. She couldn't have Toni get in trouble, not for something she had ordered. Then she hurried to the brander and smothered it in her prints as well. If the cops came, she had to be the only one that got in trouble.

"Everyone other than Sweet Pea, get the hell out of here. Avoid main roads and stay away from the cops. I don't want anyone to know we were all involved in this," Betty commanded, taking her place beside Jughead. Cheryl and Toni backed away but shared an uncertain look.

"Betty-" Toni started but Betty shook her head.

"No, do as I say. This all happened because of me, now go!" Betty snapped and the rest of them left, though regretfully.

This left Sweet Pea, Betty, Jughead, Penny and Malachai. The rest of the Ghoulies had run the moment the Serpents showed up with guns. Penny was letting out a dry laugh but wasn't moving to stop anyone. Malachai was dead, he had died the moment Toni had shot him.

The sirens of an ambulance sent both relief and fear coursing through Betty. It was time to face the consequences. As EMTs rushed in the warehouse building, Betty sighed in relief. "Over here! He's been shot!"

At the sight of a Cooper in this place, shock plastered across their faces. Betty grimaced in rage and felt Jughead's blood cover her hands. "Over here!" She shouted again, snapping them out of their trance. They rushed over and two of them picked up Jughead's body, carrying him to the ambulance.

"What about the others? And you?" one of them asked and Betty sighed shakily.

"One's dead and Sweet Pea just arrived when I called him, he's fine," The young woman informed quickly, ignoring the medic's shocked face. "Will Jughead be alright?" she asked, concern unable to be pushed aside.

"I don't know," the man admitted and Betty sucked in a breath and raced to the ambulance. With one look at Betty's blood-soaked hands and pale face, the EMTs let her in without a word.

Jughead was on the stretcher, eyes shut and breathing faintly. Blood pooled through the shirt that they had wrapped around him and his arms lay limp beside him. He already looked dead.

"Please save him…" Betty whispered, tears falling down her cheek and splashing against her jeans.

* * *

The ride to the hospital was less than ten minutes, but every second Jughead's condition had gotten worse.

Now Betty was waiting in the hospital's waiting room, staring at her bloody hands with a numb expression. _Was it worth it?_ she asked herself, eyes stinging with unshed tears. Jughead could have died, Malachai was dead and now she was most likely going to be arrested for murder.

"Betty!" The young woman glanced up at Veronica's voice, giving her a helpless look.

"What have I done?" Betty asked, choking on a sob as she rushed into her friend's arms. Veronica hugged her, and Betty could tell she was trying not to grimace at Betty's bloody outfit and hands.

"I'm sure this wasn't your fault…" The Latina tried to reassure her but Betty just shook her head.

She knew better.

Pulling away from Veronica, Betty fell back into a hospital chair and looked down at her hands; she needed a sink to wash away the blood. Standing up, she simply walked off to the bathroom, Veronica following her.

Opening the restroom door, she winced when blood smeared on the door handle. Veronica furrowed her brow at the bloody handle and slipped in before the door shut.

"Why are you here?" Betty asked, voice weak. What was she fighting for anymore?

"Betty, you are my friend. I'll always be here for you…"

"That's the thing, I can't have you always here for me. Because everyone around me gets hurt or in trouble," the Northsider whispered, tears threatening to fall once more.

Turning on the faucet, she placed her bloody hands in the water. The clear, white water soon turning red as the blood washed off her hands. The red water splashed against the white sink, surely staining it. "Why do they make sinks white when they'll end up stained any way?" Betty asked softly.

"What?" Veronica asked, looking over at the young woman.

"Nothing," she replied. Once she washed her hands free of her boyfriend's blood, she looked over to Veronica. "V, you're Betty's best friend," she whispered, before looking at her reflection in the bathroom mirror.

Betty's hair was tangled and matted with blood. Her jacket was splashed with dirt and crimson, as was her shirt and pants. Her eyes were dull and red with tears. Her face was covered in dirt, bruises and was splotchy from all her crying.

"But I'm not Betty," she finally added after a long moment. Veronica opened her mouth to speak but Betty shook her head. "I don't know what I've become… but it's not the Betty you knew."

"B, no matter what Betty you are, you're my best friend," Veronica stated firmly but Betty shook her head.

The Northsider was silent for another long minute before she sighed. "I hope you don't truly believe that."

"I do."

"Then un-believe it and just stay away from me," Betty snapped, her voice cold with a tone that chilled her to the core. Then she turned and walked out of the bathroom, leaving Veronica in the restroom.

Wiping her eyes to keep herself from crying, Betty walked back to the waiting room. Almost everyone was there; she avoided eye contact with them all. Instead of talking with them, she sat down with her eyes trained on the tiled floor.

When a nurse approached them, she looked up, but without hope.

"For Forsythe Pendleton Jones?" the nurse asked and Betty felt her skin bristle.

"Jughead." she corrected, lips pursed tightly.

"What?"

"His name is Jughead Jones," Betty repeated more clearly and the nurse nodded awkwardly.

"Well, he's alive and in surgery," the nurse informed them, a smile flickering across her soft face. "But he isn't in the best condition, he may not survive the surgery. Mr. Jones here understands that."

FP gave a nod.

Betty felt a lump form in her throat. She felt like throwing up. It was official. Jughead could die, and if he did…

...it would be her fault.

* * *

 ** _A/N: Jughead's in risky surgery! Ack! Please review and tell me what you think!_**


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